Accidental Friendship
by Kirbsters
Summary: When I fall into the penguin habitat after a total failed attempt to retrieve my notebook, me and my cousin, Aidan, will never have normal lives again. Rated T for mild language and possible violence in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**-Aidan's POV-**

I looked around the Central Park Zoo, trailing behind my cousin. Hannah had made us go to all the marine animals first, while I begged her to let us check out the tigers and wolves. "Just one carnivore! Please!" I begged, dragging my feet.

"Fine! After this last exhibit," She said, walking up to a fenced enclosure. I groan and walk over to stand by her side.

"The penguin exhibit? I studied penguins in first grade. I'm fine to let that be all. Unless they're blue penguins," I say, slouching on the fence, watching the four male penguins. Hannah read the sign and was scribbling in her notebook. _Obsession much?_ I thought and sighed, blowing a strand of dark brown hair out of my face.

"Blue penguins?"

"YEAH! They are so _kawaii_!"

Hannah looked at me quizzically.

"Cute."

"What language?"

"Japanese," I replied smugly.

I looked at my watch, which I had decided to wear that day and said, "Hannah, the parks gonna close in twelve minutes. Ain't you done looking at four penguins waddle around a block of ice yet? It's not like they are gonna be the same penguins from the show and blow something up."

Hannah grinned. "What if they are!"

"That's absurd…ish. It's a show, Hannah."

"So….. Mythbusters is real!"

I laughed and jabbed her in her side. She yelped, losing her grip on her notebook. It tumbled into the exhibit, nearly landing on the smallest penguin. "AIDAN!"

"….Mep." I managed to say as she glared at me. "Uh… one minute till closing."

Her brown eyes widen "HOLY CRAP!" She begins over the fence and climbing down.

"Uh… Hannah... _WHAT ARE YOU DOING_?"

"Getting my notebook."

I stared at her. "_Idioto_." She loses her grip and falls. Into the water. In the exhibit. The lights were starting to turn off and I sighed. "_Dios mio._ Way to go, _me primo_."

"Oh, don't go Spanish on me!" She grumbled, swimming towards the ice thing in the center. She got up on it and wrung out her hair before reaching for her notebook.  
>She jerked back as a small black flipper slapped her hand. Another one grabbed the notebook.<p>

"Nice going, Kowalski."

Hannah yelped, exclaiming, "WHAT THE CHEESE!" She was surrounded by the four penguins.

_Wait… Kowalski? _I thought to myself as I watched the scene below me develop.

"State your purpose. State your name." A short one said. Hannah was very confused.

"Skipper! This human has been collecting highly qualified info about aquatic animals!" The tall one, Kowalski, exclaimed.

The so called Skipper glared at Hannah. "Is that so…? Boys, I think we have a secret agent for Dr. Blowhole!" The other three penguins gasped, but quickly got ready to kick some Hannah butt.  
>In a blink of an eye Hannah was across the little land mass, huge red mark imprinted on her forehead.<p>

"WOAH! Hold the phone. You don't beat up my cousin. That's my job." I jumped down into the exhibit, landing somewhat gracefully on the solid ground, in a defensive position. "Bring it on, flightless birds!"

**LATER:  
><strong>

"Ow."

"Well… for the record, that was the most ninja thing ever."

"Thanks for boosting my confidence." I said sarcastically. We were tied up inside the exhibit. In this hidden H.Q thing the penguins made. The penguin called Kowalski was studying Hannah's notebook, while the two called Rico and Private guarded us. The one that thought Hannah, of all people, was a spy, which I guessed to be Skipper, paced while muttering to himself.

"Well… it's not like you didn't put up a good fight," Hannah said, trying to stay positive.

"I got beat by penguins the size of my foot."

Hannah went to lean her head on my shoulder tiredly when I growled, "Don't touch me. You're still wet." She pouted.

I glared over at Skipper. "Look, penguin. We aren't spies! The only reason Hannah has that notebook is because she is a marine animal geek."

"Hey!"

Whack!

Thanks to my bindings, Hannah's hit caused me to face-plant on the cement. "Oops." Hannah said innocently, trying not to laugh.

"Oh! Are you okay, miss?" Private asked worriedly, helping me up. "Yeah… thanks." I then turned to Hannah, frowning.

"As my cousin here was saying, I'm just very interested in marine animals. I want to be a marine biologist when I grow up." Skipper walked over to her and stared into her eyes, trying to tell if she was telling the truth.

I sighed and looked over at her. "Hannah?"

"Yes?"

"We are tied up by penguins. In Central Park Zoo. Stuck… and it's like midnight!"

"Uh…. Our parents are gonna kill us."

"You mean your parents. My mom's in Vermont still. She'll never know…. Right?"

Hannah shifted. "Can I get untied? I'm getting claustrophobic."

Skipper frowned than shrugged. "You swear you're not a spy?"

"I swear." Hannah said.

"Hmmm…. Fine." As they untied our hands, I stood and yelped, rubbing my head. "Careful. Low ceiling."

I grumbled. Private giggled and Hannah burst out laughing. I rubbed my wrists. "Meh."  
>I looked around "Well…. Can we leave?"<p>

Skipper looked at Kowalski, who was watching Hannah. "Kowalski? Options."

I looked at her too and poked her. She kind of looked like me, but she was a bit taller. I had darker brown hair, but we both had some red highlights. But Hannah had blonde highlights too, and her eyes were dark brown, while mine changed from brown to hazel to green. I also was slightly skinnier and less muscular. She was tanner but I had tons of dark brown freckles all over me. I glanced back at the penguins. "Well?"

Skipper frowned, studying us. "I suppose." My cousin and I sighed in relief.

I stood, ducking to make sure not to hit my head. I walked towards what looked like an exit. "Goodbye, misses." I heard an English voice say, and giggled slightly.

I looked down to see Private hugging my leg. I knelt down and gave the penguin a gentle hug. "Bye, Private." I opened the exit and crawled out, followed by Hannah, who had reclaimed her notebook. We waved to the penguin and stood. I walked over and climbed back up, helping Hannah. "Well, this is certainly going on Facebook."

**Translations:**

**Kawaii: (Japanese) Cute.**

**Idioto: (Spanish) Idiot.**

**Me Primo: (Spanish) My cousin.**

**Dios Mio: (Spanish) My God. **

_**Note: My cousin and I switch back and forth through chapters. Chapter 1 was written by Aidan, editing is done by Hannah. Chapter 2 will be written by Hannah. Read and Review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**-Hannah's POV-**

I woke up the next morning with a yawn, glancing at the clock. "10:47? No way! I never sleep past 7:00!" 

"Cuz..." Aidan moaned, sitting up in bed. "Could you be any louder?" I opened my mouth to reply, and she added quickly, "Don't answer that." 

I grinned, and started getting dressed into jean shorts and a v-neck T-shirt. 

"What's the hurry?" Aidan asked. 

"We're going to see the penguins again, remember?" 

"You really are obsessed." 

"Yes. Yes I am," I agreed with a grin, tossing the strap of my book bag over my shoulder and shoving my notebook inside, "you have to admit, they are pretty awesome. I mean, adorable and manly. What more could you want?" 

Aidan rolled her eyes, and got dressed into jeans and a simple T-shirt. She put on her glasses, "Okay, ready when you are." 

I burst through the door and ran out onto the sidewalk, Aidan trudging behind me. "Why so slow?" I complained. 

"Tired," She muttered, adjusting her glasses. 

I sighed, and we started walking to the zoo. 

When we finally reached the Central Park Zoo, I made a beeline for the penguin exhibit, Aidan close behind. The penguins were waddling around on the makeshift floe. I was about to call to them when I heard a muffled, "Ow." I turned and saw Aidan, who had tripped on a crack on the sidewalk. 

"Geez, and I thought I was clumsy." I said. The movement and noises must have alerted the penguins, because they soon appeared next to me in their fighting stances. "Oh, hey guys." 

"Miss, are you alright?" Private asked in his adorable accent, waddling over to Aidan's side.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." I offered her a hand, and she grasped it firmly, allowing me to haul her off the ground. 

"Hey... where are your glasses?" I asked, noticing they were no longer on my cousin's face.

"... Meh. They must've fallen off when I fell," Aidan sighed. "My Mom'll kill me when she finds out I lost them!" 

"Men! Operation: Four-Eyes has commenced!" Skipper said. 

"Hey!" Aidan said irritably at the name Skipper had given the operation. 

I stifled a laugh, and listened to Skipper's orders. 

"Rico, you're with me. Private, you search with Aidan. Kowalski, you're with Hannah." Skipper commanded. "Search high and low, soldiers! Those glasses could be anywhere." 

The penguins nodded and dispersed. I followed Kowalski, and Aidan followed Private. 

My eyes darted around the area, looking for my cousin's glasses. Kowalski walked on top of the exhibit walls, so we were at about the same level. Kowalski cleared his throat, "So... I looked at the notes you took of us yesterday..." 

I felt my face grow hot. "Oh. Um... what did you... think?" 

"They were excellent," Kowalski replied, "very detailed and correct. You really like science, don't you?" 

I nodded eagerly, still keeping an eye out for the glasses. "Marine biology is what I study the most. Marine creatures are most interesting to me, but I really like anything science related." 

Kowalski smiled. "I've never had anyone to relate to about science before." 

I was about to reply, when I heard a happy voice cheer, "Yay! I look smart!" 

Kowalski's smile faded. "Good golly. The lemurs!" 

"Lemurs?" 

"Come on," Kowalski said, leading me towards the exhibit. 

**-Aidan's POV-**

I followed Private as Hannah trailed after Kowalski. I looked around, trying to see the glint of my glasses. I cursed myself for being too lazy to put on contacts. I had been too busy looking too see a lamp post. I rammed into it, yelping in pain. I fell down roughly, rubbing my forehead. "UGH!" 

Private gasped and hurried over. "Are you alright Miss Aidan?" 

"Yea. I'm okay, thanks for asking. Sorry, I'm not usually this clumsy." I sigh and stand sorely. "God! I can play a whole game of soccer with no injury, but walking in a zoo I get hurt the first five minutes." 

"It's okay miss, I can be clumsy too at times." He looked up at me "You play football?" 

I blinked, then remembered: English. Soccer in England = football. Right. I nod "I started last year but I'm pretty good." 

If a penguin could smile, Private was "I love football! But I don't get to play it often. Usually the only sport I get to play is hockey." 

"I like hockey, my best friend plays it. But I can't skate for my life." Private looked up as we walked. 

"Maybe I could teach you! I'm great at skating!" 

"Really?" I say surprised. I mean, he's a penguin. A penguin skating, is like… Hannah beating me in math! Private nodded. 

I grinned. "You know what, how about a deal? I'll play soccer with you whenever you want, if you can teach me to skate." 

Private's expression brightened "Really?" 

I grinned and lowered a hand to him "Of course." Private shook it, grinning. 

Suddenly a cute voice reached our ears. Well, my ears. Do penguins have ears? Anyway, the voice exclaimed excitedly "Yay! I look smart!" 

Private gasped. "Of course! The lemurs!" I was chuckling, thinking how that sounded like my friend whenever she put on glasses. Private looked up at me "Come on! The lemurs have you glasses." He began to waddle towards the exhibit. 

I quickly caught up to him. "How 'bout I carry you? Faster that way." 

"U-uh… s-sure" Private stuttered. I picked him up and hurried towards the exhibit. 

**-Hannah's POV-**

Kowalski halted in front of the lemur habitat, and I saw a small, adorable looking lemur wearing my cousin's glasses with a tiny smile on his face. 

Kowalski let out sigh of relief. "Getting the glasses from Mort should be simple. A small distraction, and-" 

"Mort! What is it you are doing? Those are obviously a gift from the Sky Spirits, sent to your king, who is me." A much taller lemur, wearing a leafy crown, kicked Mort, sending him and the glasses flying. I leaped up and snatched the glasses from the air. 

"Nice catch," Kowalski praised me. I grinned triumphantly, and Kowalski and I turned and began walking back to the H.Q. 

Suddenly, I felt something slam into my shoulder, knocking me to the ground. "What the-" 

The taller lemur had leaped at me, and he was now standing on my chest, staring down at me. "Eh, excuse me pretty lady, but that is a gift the Sky Spirits sent your king, who is me." 

"Hannah!" Kowalski slid over to me on his stomach and stood when he reached my side. "Julien, get off of her!" 

"Nu-uh, bossy penguin! I want de gift from the Sky Spirits!" King Julien announced. 

"Look," I said, holding the glasses out of the lemur's range, "these are my cousin's glasses. She needs them more than you do!" 

"The king needs all de nice things!" 

Suddenly, I heard Aidan and Private running towards us. Aidan, unable to see well, tripped over me, knocking Julien off of me. 

I let out a groan of pain. "You really should've gone with the contacts today." 

"Yeah, well, lesson learned." Aidan replied, also laying flat on her back. Private started helping her up, and Kowalski helped me up; I was still clutching Aidan's glasses. 

King Julien stood and brushed himself off. "Eh, now there are two pretty ladies and a gift from de Sky Spirits. This is being the greatest of days ever!" He leaped towards me again. 

I tossed the glasses to Private, who handed them to Aidan. Aidan gladly put them on. "Yes! I can see again," She said with a grin. 

"Hey! What is de pretty lady doing with my gift?" Julien complained. 

_KABOOM!  
><em>

With a screech, King Julien was launched back into the lemur habitat, his tail smoking a little. I turned, and saw Rico holding a few sticks of dynamite under his flipper, and Skipper stood next to him with a smirk. 

"Rico, that was awesome!" We high-fived. 

Skipper smiled. "Nice work ladies," He praised Aidan and I. 

"I'm just glad I am fully coordinated again," Aidan said, turning to walk away. She tripped again, this time managing to hold on to her glasses. 

"Well, almost." I said with a grin. Aidan stood, spun around, and chased me through the zoo.

**Note: Aidan's POV in this chapter was actually written by Aidan, not me (Hannah). Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**-Chapter 3-  
>-Aidan's POV-<strong>

I sigh as I finished packing. I let my dark brown hair down from its ponytail, earning a slight wave in it. The sigh caught the attention of Hannah, who had also finished packing.

"Sad?"

"Kind of. But truth-be-told, I can't wait to be able to breathe again."

Both my cousin and I had been born and raised in rural Vermont. Well, me a bit more rural than her. My hometown didn't even have a grocery store, a bank, or a restaurant. But it had a surplus of tractors and farms. Though neither of us lived on farms ourselves, we had seen enough to last us a life time. We were more the outdoorsy, go hiking, kill a deer, fishing in the mountains, kind of girls.

Hannah shrugged. "I got used to it."

"Well, you've been here longer."

Hannah looked over at me and her eyes widened in mild surprise.  
>"You're wearing your contacts"<p>

"As I said, lesson learned."  
>"You look pretty. Hair down, no glasses. You should do that more often."<p>

I rolled my eyes. "Yea, and the next thing you'll be trying to get me to wear makeup.'"

"Let's just get going to the zoo. We need to say goodbye to the penguins."

"I love how you chose the last hour the zoo is open to visit them." I said sarcastically.

Hannah frowned slightly and picked up her bag. "Come on, cuz."

**-Later-**

We entered the zoo and looked around. "Since we do have an hour, can we go see Mort first?" I asked. "He's so kawaii!"

Hannah shrugged. "Sure." We walked along towards the lemur. Hannah stopped suddenly.

"Aidan?"

"Yes?"

"Are you wearing a short skirt?"

"Uh… no?" I offered weakly.

"HA! I KNEW IT! I knew you were doing this on purpose!" I blushed slightly. "What reason! You haven't said a reason!"

"You want to impress-" My hand covered her mouth, me blushing still.

"Shut up. And maybe that's it, or I'm going to a party—which I'm dragging you along to—to see my friends again and I'm going to surprise them."

As this conversation was happening, we just so happened to be walking past the penguin exhibit. "It's not like he's gonna be there, cuz." Hannah argued.

"Oh, but he is!"  
>Hannah sighed, face palming. "He is cute, Aidan."<p>

"And buff!" I added, grinning and blushing.

"And buff" She agreed with a roll of her eyes. "But he-"

"We're here!" I said, cutting her off.

Mort looked up and giggled "King Julian! It's the pretty ladies!"

Soon enough King Julian was sitting on my head, looking at my face. "Where is de gift from de sky spirits, pretty ladies?"

"Not with us."

He frowned. "Aww well. MAURICE!" He disappeared in the habitat.

I looked at a clock nearby. "Hannah, only ten minutes left."

"We better go. Bye Mort"

"Bye-bye!"

We walked back towards the penguin exhibit and soon got to it. Hannah looked around and began to climb down. I waited for her to get near the entrance before I joined her, jumping down. She rolled her eyes. "What?" I asked innocently. "It's funner."

"There is no such word as 'funner.'"

I laughed and said "'Ain't' ain't a word, neither."

We opened the entrance, picked up our bags and climbed inside. Hannah made sure to close the entrance as I set the bags down.

"Hello soldiers." Skipper greeted us from where he sat, playing cards with Rico and Private. Kowalski was working on an experiment in the corner.

Private looked up and noticed the bags "Moving?" He asked slightly concerned.

"Uh… in a way."

Skipper motioned for us to sit by the three card-playing penguins.

We did, setting our bags down behind us. I leaned back against mine. "So, what's with the bags?"

"Well, uh… Hannah and I are going to Vermont for the rest of the summer. See we both were raised in Vermont, but Hannah and her parents and brother moved here, but I still live in Vermont. We are spending half the summer there, since we spent the other half here. Hannah will come back at the end of summer… but I will only come when I can visit Hannah… which won't be much, saying how we are going into high school."  
>I let the sink in, fearing the worst. Hannah shifted awkwardly in the silence the ensued.<p>

"You're really leaving?" Private asked sadly.

We both nodded. "Our plane leaves at twelve tomorrow."

Suddenly before any of us can react, the sound of the gates closing reached us. Me, being the closest to the entrance, looked up. "Uh oh."

"What?"

"Guards. Cameras, lights. BIG closed gate. Hannah…. We're stuck."

"WHAT?"

**-Later-  
><strong>

Me and Hannah sat under a blanket in our PJ's. Mine were yellow and pink Hawaiian shorts that were short, with frilled bottoms and a white spaghetti strap shirt. Hannah's outfit was a white tank top, with blue and green plaid shorts.

"Well, you think we are going to make it?" I whispered to Hannah, not wanting to wake the penguins.

I heard her sigh in the darkness. "I don't know."

"Hannah?"

"Yes?"

"It's dark in here"

"…"

"Very dark"

"You're too paranoid."

"Am not! … fine."

I shifted to look at her. I could barely make out her shape in the blackness.

"I'm actually going to miss the penguins. Weird huh?"

"Same here. And how is that weird?"

"Well, when I said meet new people, I meant actually people. Hannah, we are sleeping, In an HQ, in a zoo, made by penguins who think they are soldiers. Not exactly normal or what I had in mind for my last night in NYC."

I could feel Hannah's eyes on me. "So you wish we didn't meet them?"

"I didn't say that" I sighed. "Go to sleep, cuz."

"I was trying too."

"…"

I could tell Hannah was falling asleep, for her breathing was slowing.

"Got any chocolate?"

**-In the Morning-  
><strong>

I woke to Hannah nudging me. "What…"

"It's almost ten. The plane, remember?"

I groaned and sat up. Kowalski was still working on the experiment. I couldn't see the other penguins. Kowalski looked up, seeing we were awake.

"Good morning," He said, picking up a beaker from the experiment.

It was filled with blue liquid. Suddenly, "'ELLO PENGUINS!" King Julian and Maurice appeared, sitting on the T.V. Mort went sliding quickly towards a can of tuna, which happened to be next to Kowalski's foot. Kowalski tripped and the blue liquid went flying towards Hannah and I.

You know that feeling you have before a life-changing experience? I didn't have it. The blue liquid splattered down in front of us. "Well…. That was anti-climatic." Hannah commented. Suddenly the blue liquid began to smoke. I coughed, for it was getting hard to breath with all the smoke.

Suddenly…. BANG.

"Uhhggg…" I heard Hannah groan. I moved stiffly. My body felt odd. The smoke began to clear. I looked over at Hannah and screamed. I looked down at myself and screamed again. We were penguins!

**This chapter was written by Aidan, edited by Hannah. Read and Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**-Chapter 4-  
>-Hannah's POV-<strong>

"Oh... shiz..." I sat up with a moan, and placed a hand on my forehead. Wait, no. Not a hand. I moved my arm in front of my vision. A flipper. I looked over at Aidan, who was still screaming. "Kowalski... what did you do?"

"Uh..."

"Eh, I think we'll be leaving now, penguins." King Julien announced. Mort bounced after him, obviously thinking he had done nothing wrong.

"Hannah?" Aidan stood up, flipper pressed to the back of her head. We were both penguins. Aidan was tall and slender, with ruffled black tail feathers and a white stomach. Her eyes were the same as her human eye color that switched from brown, hazel to green. I looked at my feathers and noted my appearance: I was taller than Aidan, yet shorter than Rico, with very, very dark brown feathers, tipped with red, matching my hair color. I had a white stomach as all penguins had, and I was slightly curvy at the hips.

"Oh crap. Oh _crap_." I said. "We're so dead. Might as well start planning my funeral now. Oh _crap_." I fell backwards and stared at the ceiling. "We're supposed to catch a plane." I panicked. My parents wanted to go to Vermont to stay at Aidan's for a while, because my Dad missed Vermont, and wanted to go hunting, and they had caught an earlier flight to meet us there.

"Dios mio." Aidan also fell onto her back.

"Kowalski... please tell me you can change us back," I pleaded softly.

"Uh..."

"Kowalski!" I sat up immediately. He was looking at me funny... I couldn't explain it. It looked like he was almost... gawking at me. "Earth to Kowalski!" I walked up to him and slapped him.

"Wha-?" Kowalski shook his head. "Oh, sorry. It's just... wow." 

"'Wow' what?" I demanded. "You know what? Never mind. Can you change us back to humans?" I asked, placing a flipper on my hip.

"Well... no. I don't have an antidote yet."

"How long will it take you to make one?" I demanded. I noticed Private talking to Aidan out of the corner of my eye, trying to calm her down.

"Maybe... a few days. A week tops."

"A _week_?" I screeched. "Kowalski, we have to be on that plane in *two hours!*"

"It'll be impossible for me to make an antidote in that amount of time!" Kowalski argued.

"We can't just stay here for a week! We're supposed to go back to Vermont!"

"I'm sorry, Hannah! There's nothing I can do about it today! If I could, I would. I'm not a miracle worker."

I took a deep breath, walked over to the wall, and started banging my head on it. "My. Life. Is. Over."

"Maybe not, soldier." I looked over at Skipper, who had flipped through the channels to reach the News.

I walked over to the commando penguin. The head anchorman was saying, "... And to repeat that, all airlines will have to be closed down for the next 4 to 6 days, due to extreme weather hazards. All flights have been cancelled, and everyone is advised to stay in their homes. We are expecting to see flooding, hail and extreme thundershowers. Any outdoor businesses, including The Central Park Zoo, have also been shut down."

Aidan and the other penguins had waddled over to join Skipper and I. Aidan grinned, "Wow. That's like... everyday Vermont weather." 

I laughed, but my smile quickly faded. "Wait... my parents! They took an earlier flight then us, remember? We have to find out if they landed safely!" I started freaking out and running around in circles; then Skipper slapped me. 

I landed right on my face. "Thanks. I needed that," I said, my voice muffled. "Wait... Mom gave me her cell phone! I'll just call Dad's cell..." I waddled over to my luggage, and dug through one of the bags. Finally, I emerged with the cell phone, grasping it in one flipper.

"Hannah... no fingers, remember?" Aidan reminded me.

I flipped open the top of the cell and thrust it into her arms. "Just hold this while I tap in the number," I said.

She did, and the phone started ringing. Then...

"Bleep." The phone died.

"DAMN IT!" I yelled, throwing the phone against the wall. It snapped in half, and the two pieces fell to the floor.

The penguins, including Aidan, stared at me in shock. I felt my face grow hot under my feathers, and I walked over to a corner and sat down, devastated. "We'll just have to find a phone at the end of the week."

Aidan nodded in agreement, and walked over to me. "It'll be okay, cuz."

"No, it won't!" I sobbed, hiding my face with my flippers. "What if my Mom and Dad got hurt? What if we're stuck as penguins forever? What if we never get back to Vermont? Did you think of that?"

Aidan didn't respond.

"That's what I thought." I mumbled.

Private waddled over to us and stood close to Aidan. "We'll fix this, I promise."

The other penguins stood next to Private. "I'll get to work on the antidote," Kowalski murmured.

"I'll... keep watching to see if they have updates on the storm and flights." Skipper said.

"FIISH MOER FIISH!" Rico said.

"You're right, Rico!" Private agreed with the penguin's gibberish.

"What... what did he say?" I murmured.

"Since the zoo is closing for the week, the zookeepers will give us lots of extra food to last." Private explained.

"Ugh." I muttered. I had to eat raw fish? Nasty. 


	5. Chapter 5

**-Chapter 5-  
>-Aidan's POV-<strong>

It had been three days since we had been turned into penguins and the zoo was still closed. Hannah was still freaking out about being penguins, but I thought it was kinda cool. When I ate the raw fish the first time, she looked at me in disgust, which I promptly replied with, "What? Not the worst thing I've ever eaten."

"Then what's worse?"

"Uhhh…. Tell you later." I said.

With each day Hannah grew more and more restless, worrying about her parents, being penguins, and being stuck in the zoo. She became touchy and irritated, snapping whenever you interrupted her worrying. I grew more and more worried about her, and no matter what Private told me, I knew she wasn't okay.

Currently I was helping Kowalski trying to find an antidote. That's right, the tom-boy that fishes, eats raw fish and kicks butt in taekwondo, is a wiz in math and science. Kowalski nodded, agreeing with something I said.

Private came back in the HQ from the entrance and ruffled his feathers, shaking off the snow. "It's a blizzard out there! And it's getting worse." He said, waddling over to where Rico was.

Hannah shivered slightly from where she sat in the corner. I excused myself from Kowalski and went to sit by her. "Cheer up, cuz. It could be a lot worse."

"HOW! HOW, AIDAN? TELL ME HOW!"

I winced, immediately regretting my choice of words. "We could be dead. But we are here, with friends, food, warmth…"

Hannah growled.

"Hannah!" I said angrily, finally losing it. "Stop acting like you are the only one being affected! You don't think I'm worried about your parents? And what about my mom? If it's a blizzard here what do you think it will be like in Vermont! All my friends probably think I'm dead! Me and the penguins have tried to cheer you up; they're helping us and allowing us to stay here! And in return you are making all of us feel rotten! So stop sulking and actually try and help!" I shouted, losing my temper.

An awkward silence pursued. Then Hannah said, "You don't understand. You only have to worry about one parent," She snapped, standing and exiting the HQ before any of us could stop her.

"YEAH? Well, good riddance!" I called, fuming.

Kowalski's eyes were wide. "We need to stop her! The chance of a penguin surviving in that storm is 100 to 1!"

I gasped, instantly regretting my harsh words. "Come on!" All of us quickly exited.

I almost fell over as a huge blast of cold air, and needle-like snowflakes blasted into us.

Private held me up, standing over me protectively. "How are we going to find her in this?" I shouted to be heard over the wind.

We began to shout for her.  
>"HANNAH!"<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**-Chapter 6-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I started shaking. I couldn't tell if it was from the cold, or from my fury at Aidan. I pushed through the blizzard, barely able to see where I was going through the snow.

"Hannah!" I heard Aidan and the other penguins yelling for me. I didn't respond to their calls. I wanted to be as far away from them as possible. 

I felt like the life I knew had been ripped up into tiny, beyond repair pieces and thrown right in my face. I was a penguin. I didn't want to eat raw fish, so I was starving. My friends and family probably all thought I was dead, and what about my parents? No one had any idea on their whereabouts, and the T.V in the penguin's hideout no longer received a signal because of the terrible blizzard, making it impossible to catch the updates on the News.

As I peered through the thick clouds of snow, I couldn't help but feel guilty about the way I had been treating Aidan and the penguins. They were trying to help me, but I rejected them. Shut them out, and snapped at them.

"Wow. I'm really awful." I muttered to myself, feeling the guilt eat at me.

I felt like such a jerk. I should have been helping Aidan and the penguins get through the storm, but instead I snapped at them and told them to leave me alone. I had to go back and make things right. 

**-Aidan's POV-  
><strong>

"Hannah!" I shouted, my throat growing sore and my voice growing hoarse. I looked around tiredly, my skin under the feathers stinging from the snow. I narrowed my eyes against the storm and glare.

"What if we can't find her…?" I say to Private, who was near me. 

"We will find her Aidan. I promise," He said, putting a flipper on my shoulder.

"How do you know, Private? We've search almost the whole zoo and we can't find her! What if she's dead?" I cried, tears in my eyes.

Kowalski, from where he was, stiffened slightly.

Private looked at me sadly but determined. "She's not dead, Aidan." 

"But how do you-"

"I just know, okay? I promise you we will find her."

I shivered and he hugged me gently. "I shouldn't have yelled at her… it's just… all of this is happening at once." I said quietly, closing my eyes against the biting wind.

He squeezed my shoulders comfortingly. "It's okay, Aidan. I'm surprised you hadn't done that earlier. You have been very good, considering what has happened to you and your cousin." He said, his tone comforting. I sniffed and sighed.

"I guess you're right," I said quietly. He released my shoulders and smiled weakly.

"Of course I am, Aidan,"

I laughed quietly. "Come on. Standing here won't help find my cousin." I said, continuing to walk against the blasting, bone-chilling wind. "We'll find her."

**-Hannah's POV-**

I started to turn back to the H.Q to apologize to Aidan and the penguins, and escape from the cold, when suddenly, a strong gust of wind knocked me into a habitat I didn't recognize, mostly because of the weather. I let out a screech of surprise, and a snow bank fell on top of me, and the area around me went dark. 


	7. Chapter 7

**-Chapter 7-  
>-Aidan's POV-<strong>

My head shot up, my eyes widening after hearing a shriek. "Did you guys hear that?" They nodded. We hurried towards the source of the sound.

"I found prints!" I heard Private say. Quickly we were on the trail. 

It was getting harder and harder to see. My body was numb and I was getting tired. But I was leading the guys on the trail of Hannah-prints. Suddenly the ground beneath me dropped and I yelped. 

"Aidan!" I heard Private exclaim when I disappeared from their view.

I coughed, spitting out snow. "Down here!" Soon I was joined by them.

"Kowalski, how much time do we have?" Skipper demanded.

"Not much." Kowalski said weakly, looking grave.

"THEN START digging!" I cried, already digging in the snow bank, wishing to see the brown-black feathers of my dear cousin. The others soon copied me, digging into the snow bank. The snow was hard, ice almost and digging was slow. But we had to keep digging.

The wind grew in intensity as we dug. "We have to find her!" We dug harder and faster. Skipper called to us over the gale. "What did he say?" I asked Private, standing hopefully.

"I think he found her!" We hurried over to him. Sure enough, Skipper showed us a half-buried, unconscious Hannah.

"DIG MEN, DIG!" Skipper ordered.

I made no smart remark about me not being a man, and started to dig her out.

Soon we had uncovered her, and Kowalski scooped her up and held the unconscious penguin in his flippers.

"Come on, back to the H.Q." Skipper shouted over the wind. We began back, against the wind this time.

"Please, Hannah, live until we reach safety… please." 


	8. Chapter 8

**-Chapter 8-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

"Ugh..." I sat up slowly, still shivering. I was lying on the concrete table in the H.Q, Kowalski standing over me. He had a supply of medical tools near him, and had rested a flipper on my forehead. "What... happened?" I asked with a cough, feeling lightheaded and dizzy. 

"Aidan!" Kowalski called. "She's okay... sort of." He had a look of relief on his face.

"Hannah?" I saw Aidan walking over to me, along with Private, Rico and Skipper. "Hannah! You're alive!" She threw her flippers around me. 

"Aidan... I'm so, so sorry." I said, hugging her back. "I've been such a jerk... to all of you," I said, turning to face the other penguins, "you guys were just trying to help me, and I... I'm really sorry."

"It's alright, soldier." Skipper said, placing a flipper on my shoulder as Aidan pulled away. "Just swear to me we won't have to dig you out of any more snow banks."

I laughed, ending with a cough. "I swear."

Kowalski had me lay back down so I could rest, and he could keep an eye on me. I happily obliged; I was exhausted. I closed my eyes, trying to catch a few winks, but sleep never came to me. I had too many things on my mind.

I rolled over a few times, trying to get comfortable.

Kowalski looked over at me from the antidote he was working on. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head, but Kowalski obviously wasn't buying it. He walked over and sat next to me. "Seriously, what's bothering you?"

I sat up. "I'm just... thinking about my parents." I murmured tiredly.

Kowalski looked at me sympathetically. "They'll be okay," he assured me.

I sighed, not wanting to argue. "I hope so."

"Umm... if it makes you feel any better..."

"What?" I asked.

"Well... as far as penguins go... you're very..." Kowalski murmured awkwardly, looking away from me.

"Very...?" 

"A-attractive." Kowalski stammered, finally looking up to face me.

I held back a laugh, and instead smiled. "Really?"

"Yes. And it would also seem that Private feels that way about your cousin." Kowalski said.

I turned and saw Private talking to Aidan, smiling and staring at her. He had been acting differently around her, ever since she and I had been accidentally turned into penguins. I laughed. "I guess so." I smiled inwardly, guessing that Aidan was completely oblivious to the young penguin's feelings towards her.

Kowalski placed a flipper around my shoulders to comfort me. "The antidote should be complete in a few days, then when the storm's cleared, we'll find you a phone."

I smiled. "Thanks, Kowalski."

The intellectual penguin nodded and squeezed my shoulders comfortingly. "Why don't you try and get some rest? If you need anything, just let me know."

"Actually," I said, "how about some fish? I'm starving."

Rico, hearing the word 'fish,' waddled over and tossed me the limp, silver body of a dead fish. "FIISH." The weapon-crazed penguin croaked, grinning.

I shivered. The things I'll do for a full stomach... I tossed the fish into my mouth, shivering as I felt it slide down my throat.

"And...?" Kowalski prompted.

Rico waited for my reaction, excitedly chanting, "Fiiish! FIIISH!" 

"It wasn't awful," I said with a grin. "Hey, cuz! I ate a fish and lived!" I called over to Aidan, who was still talking with Private.

Aidan laughed, and rolled her eyes playfully. "Congratulations. Told you they weren't terrible."

Private laughed, prying his gaze away from Aidan for only a moment before turning back to her.

Satisfied, I laid back down on the table. Kowalski laughed softly, turning back to the antidote. The liquid looked unstable, hinting that it still wasn't complete. I sighed happily. Now, it didn't really matter to me how long it would take for the storm to pass over or how long it would take for Kowalski to finish the antidote. I was with friends, people... or, penguins... that cared about Aidan and I. We were safe, warm and happy.

**It would seem that Private and Kowalski are interested in Aidan and I… :D Read & Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**-Chapter 9-  
>-Aidan's POV-<strong>

Once again I was helping Kowalski find the antidote. I studied the chemical compound and it's cells. Then I frowned.

"Kowalski?"

"Yes?" 

"Why is there penguin DNA in this?"

"Uhh…." 

"YOU WERE TRYING TO KEEP US PENGUINS!" I accused loudly, pointing a flipper at him angrily.

Hannah, from where she sat watching the T.V (Which had started working since the blizzard ended… why was it snowing in the summer anyway?) looked over in surprise.

I sighed and began the tedious task of removing the DNA.

Hannah came up from behind me. "How do you even know what penguin DNA looks like?" She questioned, watching me work.

I blinked. "Because I read. Go figure. And I'm good at science." When I finished I sat back, grinning.

"All done. This should work."

Hannah looked at the vile "So… we just touch it?"

"No, Hannah, you put it in a suit and dance the cancan with it." I said sarcastically.

"No need to be hurtful." Hannah said, pouting dramatically. We both took a deep breath and touched it with our flippers.

There was a big puff of smoke and next thing I knew my head banged up against the ceiling. "OWW!" I yelped, warning Hannah in time for her to duck.

"Figures you'd duck in time," I growled.

Hannah grinned "That's just 'cause I'm awesome." She said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes. "WE'RE HUMAN!" She said happily.

I nodded, rubbing my head grumpily. I looked around "Uh… where'd the penguins go?"

She paused then shrugged. She looked at her watch.  
>"OH MY GOD WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR OUR PLANE!"<p>

"WE HAVE A PLANE!"

"Oh yea, forgot to tell you didn't I?"

"YES!" 

"Oops."

**-Later-**

We boarded the plane and quickly sat in our seats. I quickly opened my book bag I carried around and took out my laptop. I started it up and quickly got on the internet. Hannah looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You had that the whole time?"

"Yup." 

She glared at me. Then she sighed, "I can't believe the penguins didn't say goodbye."

I was busy on the laptop, telling our friends and family the flight got rescheduled and didn't hear her. "What?"

She sighed. "Never mind, Aidy."

My nostrils flared, which is when you know I'm angry. Hannah laughed as I tried to strangle her. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" 


	10. Chapter 10

**-Chapter 10-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I laughed. "Calm down, Aidan!"

Suddenly, something flew out of my bag, hitting Aidan in the face and stopping her 'attack.'

"GAH!" Aidan shrieked.

"Kowalski!" I gasped. I quickly removed the tall penguin from my cousin's face. I saw the other penguins poke their heads out of my bag. I placed Kowalski on my lap and turned him towards me. "What the hell are you guys doing here?" I hissed, not wanting to draw the attention of other passengers.

I saw Private leap out of the bag next, landing neatly on Aidan's lap. "Are you alright, Miss Aidan?"

Aidan nodded, staring at the other penguins, eyes wide with shock.

Private turned towards me. "We stowed away in your luggage," he said cheerfully.

I face palmed. "Yeah, I got that, Private. But why?"

"So we could protect you girls," Skipper replied.

"We don't need protecting, Skipper!" I said quietly. "We're going to a house, surrounded by nothing but nature and a few farms! There's nothing there to hurt us! Besides," I added with a huff, "I can take care of myself."

"But you were being attacked!" Kowalski said, eyes round with worry and confusion.

"No, Kowalski, I wasn't. I just called Aidan 'Aidy," I leaned close to Private, whispering, "by the way... don't ever call her that. She'll rip you apart, no matter how much she likes you." Private gulped and nodded.

I noticed the flight attendant approaching us. "I'll yell at you guys later. HIDE!" I hissed.

Skipper made a quick motion with his flipper, and the penguins followed their commando leader into my book bag.

The flight attendant passed us, and I let out a breath of relief. "That was close. Aidan, what are we going to do-" I cut myself off. I noticed a small, familiar beaker filled with a thick blue liquid lying on my seat; Kowalski probably dropped it when he attacked Aidan. "... Geez. I guess we were pretty smokin,' cuz." 

"What do you mean?" Aidan asked.

I showed her the beaker, containing the liquid that changed us into penguins. Her eyes widened. "So, they just wanted to be with us... and convince us to turn into penguins and take us back to the zoo with them."

"Whoa. I thought they'd just want us to turn into penguins so they could stare at us all day. But you may be on to something, cuz."

Aidan rolled her eyes. "We're landing."

**Sorry, short chapter. Don't worry: My next one will be longer (Hopefully XD). As always… Read & Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**-Chapter 11-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

I heard a 'bing' from my laptop and looked towards it. A grin broke out on my face. Hannah looked over. "What?"

"My friends are gonna meet us so they can see me and drive us to my house."

"Which friends? And who's driving, since I'm pretty sure we can't?" 

"Carolyn and Kaci."

Soon we reached the ground and I was greeted by the twins previously mentioned. We hugged and soon we and Hannah were on our way. They dropped us off at my house and as soon as they did I purposely dropped both our bags (save the one with the laptop). Muted yelps were heard and I smirked slightly. Hannah rolled her eyes and picked them up.

We started up the steep driveway and soon got to my house.

**-Later-**

I plopped down on my bed, yawning. "God. I'm tired. Jet lag?" 

"That only happens when we go through time zones. NYC is five hours away. No time zone difference."

Soon the penguins were out and exploring my room. I had kept the penguin-turning serum and had hidden it before they came out. I couldn't believe they would do that. Hannah sensed my grumpiness and suggested, "How about we go hiking?"

I brightened instantly. "YEAH!"

The penguins watched us as we packed. "Where are you going now?" Private asked.

"Hiking. Hey Hannah."

"Yes?"

"I bet we can borrow my neighbors 4-wheelers!"

"Really? Sweet!"


	12. Chapter 12

**-Chapter 12-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

Soon, Aidan and I had gotten the 4-wheelers and helmets from the neighbors, which they happily let us borrow. I grinned, choosing the blue ATV and helmet. We packed a bag with a bottle of water, a few snacks, and the penguins.

Aidan glared at me when I suggested bringing them along. "What?" I asked. "Rico'll probably blow up your room as soon as we leave." Rico coughed up a stick of dynamite and held it threateningly.

"Fine." Aidan said, revving up her 4-wheeler and driving off into the woods.

Rico, with a frown, swallowed the dynamite again. I gave him a pat on the back. "Don't worry, Rico. You'll get to blow up something sooner or later."  
>I slung the bag over my shoulder. "Hang tight, guys. It's gonna get a little rough." I pulled the helmet over my head, shifted the 4-wheeler into gear and pressed the throttle with my thumb, sending us off into the forest.<p>

Aidan was ahead of me, leading the way. I caught up with her, hinting her to speed up. I loved going fast.

Getting the message, she sped up. I swung my head back quickly to check on the penguins. Rico held his arms in the air as if he were on a roller coaster with a huge grin. Skipper didn't seem like he particularly enjoyed the ride, but kept a straight face. Private was clinging onto the bag desperately, and Kowalski observed the surroundings.

I swung my head around to look ahead. My dark brown hair whipped around my neck as I sped through the trees after my cousin. I noticed the sun going down and the forest growing dark, so I flipped on the headlights. We would have to head back soon, before we were missed or it got too dark to find our way back. Sure, we had headlights, but there was no trail to follow back to the house.

Suddenly, I noticed that Aidan was no longer in sight. Puzzled, I sped up, and eventually saw her come into view, headlights on. She was going a lot faster than me, which was rare. Then I noticed something; she was holding the serum that turned us into penguins. She had extended her arm, looking like she was ready to release it. She was going to destroy it so the penguins couldn't bring us back to the zoo as penguins.

I don't really know what I was thinking at the moment that I sped up. I hadn't *loved* being a penguin, but I hadn't hated it either. I had been closer to Kowalski.

I pressed on the throttle as hard as I dared, catching up with Aidan just as she released the serum.

The beaker slammed into me, breaking instantly. The liquid poured over me and started smoking. I cursed silently as I felt my body change. Then...

BANG. 

The helmet fell on top of my penguin body, causing me to roll off the back of the 4-wheeler. It slowed and stopped after a few moments because no one was controlling it anymore. I let out a shriek, and tumbled into the forest. I opened my eyes. It was darker outside, and I could see the headlights from my 4-wheeler, and Aidan's as she sped off. I sighed, guessing that Kowalski hadn't brought the antidote, so if we turned into penguins, that was it. We stayed that way. I groaned, and fell backwards.

**Notice that all the bad stuff happens to me (Hannah). XD Read & Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**-Chapter 13-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

It was gone. It was finally gone. No more having to be a penguin. Did I feel guilty about it? Heck no. I can't believe they would try and make us into penguins. I was a human, and I was going to stay that way.

I wasn't gonna sacrifice my life, my friends, and my dreams, just 'cause some penguins have a hard time saying goodbye. I was going to Yale. I was going to be a forensic anthropologist, a writer, a photographer. I was going to stay human, no matter what.

Suddenly after probably twenty minutes I realized I couldn't hear Hannah's 4-wheeler.

I slowed to a stop. "HANNAH!" I called… No reply. Not good. I looked around, the headlights still on. It began to rain lightly, and then pour. Not good… again. It began to thunder. It was no use traveling to look for Hannah in this weather. The four-wheeler would get stuck or there would be floods. All I could do was camp down and hope she survives till morning.

I began to make a lean-to, making a mattress out of dry moss and pine needles. I put leaves and moss on the roof to make it rainproof. I had also made sure I was on high ground, so there was no chance of flooding.

I was kinda hungry so I opened my pack. "Aha!" I said.  
>Pulling out the walkie-talkie I grinned in triumph. I pressed the button on the side "Hannah? Come in, Hannah."<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

**-Chapter 14-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I heard the crackle of a walkie-talkie from the 4-wheeler, which was still running. I was still lying in the same place, same position, frozen in shock. It had happened so quickly... one moment, free. On an ATV, flying through the woods. The next moment, hitting the ground. Hard. In a body that I had mixed feelings about. This wasn't me. I wasn't even sure if it was something I would ever want to be. 

I heard something rustling in the brush near me. I forced my aching body to back up against a tree. There were many things for me to worry about in the woods. Bears, bobcats, foxes, coyotes...

It was the penguins. They landed before me in their fighting stances. I wasn't surprised that they were more paranoid than usual. This wasn't an area they were familiar with. I was furious with them (well, mostly Kowalski) at the same time I was relieved that they had found me.

Kowalski looked at me with surprise. "You're a penguin..."

I stood angrily. "Yep, and it's all your fault!" I yelled, walking right up to the intellectual penguin, ignoring the ache in my body. "Why did you have to bring the serum? So you could change me back and drag me back to the zoo? I guess I have no choice now, huh?" Kowalski just stared at me in shock. Private looked mildly afraid of me.

I swung around and marched off to the 4-wheeler, my body still aching from the fall I had taken. I dug through my bag, looking for the walkie-talkie.

I heard someone jump up beside me. I swung around, ready to start yelling at Kowalski again, but I blinked in surprise.

It was Skipper.

"Listen, soldier. I know you're angry at us... and I don't blame you. I know you didn't expect us to jump on the plane with you and follow you to Vermont. And I also know you didn't expect this," he said, motioning towards me. "But, believe it or not, this isn't our greatest concern right now."

"Not our greatest concern?" I echoed. "Skipper, my life has just been smashed to little tiny pieces! Don't you get it? I don't know what *your* biggest concern is right now, but *this*," I snarled, pointing to myself, "is the life I have to deal with. Forever."

Skipper didn't reply, and I whipped out my walkie-talkie, almost in tears (if penguins could even cry). "Aidan?" I murmured. "You have to get me out of here." 


	15. Chapter 15

**-Chapter 15-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

I frowned. She sounded upset. "Sorry Hannah, no-can-do," I huddled farther into my shelter away from the pouring rain, "traveling in this weather would be suicide. I would like to live a little longer. I'll get you in the morning. Sorry, you're going to have to hold out till tomorrow."

I set the walkie-talkie down and shivered. I didn't have a coat. I rummaged through my backpack and grasped my blanket triumphantly. 

Suddenly I heard a bark. I jumped to my feet, crouching in a ready position. Another one, closer to me. I stayed silent as I watched a figure come into view. I had turned off the four-wheeler light and I now cursed myself for doing so. I huddled back against the tree as the figure came closer, multiple smaller shapes around it.

**Yay! Super SUPER short chapter! XD Read & Review (And as always… editing done by Hannah **


	16. Chapter 16

**-Chapter 16-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I groaned in pain as I led the penguins through the forest. We had been walking since Aidan told me she couldn't come get me in this weather. I was the penguins' leader now; not even Skipper was familiar with this area.

Was I angry at the penguins? Hell, yes. What were they thinking? That I would simply leave behind my hopes for the future, forget about my dream to become a marine biologist, author, artist or scientist, leave behind my friends and family, to join their commando squad and be with Kowalski?

Kowalski.

Yes, I liked him. We were both into science, we both took lots of notes... We understood each other.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kowalski looking at me sadly. Regretfully. I felt a pang of guilt, but quickly reminded myself that it was his fault I was in this form in the first place.

Suddenly, I noticed a glint of metal hiding in the leaves. I recognized the contraption immediately; Kowalski was walking straight for it.

"Kowalski, move!" I yelled, throwing myself at the intellectual penguin. His eyes widened in shock as I slammed him into the ground.

I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting the trap to spring, but it never did. I opened my eyes slowly. I was still on top of Kowalski, and he was staring at me with shock. "What? What happened?" He asked.

I quickly stood, feeling the gazes of the other penguins lock on me. I, carefully, picked up a stick and tapped the trap with it. A metal noose snapped up, tightening around the stick. "This," I said, "is a coyote snare. Coyotes are considered vermin in Vermont. These are set up to catch them and kill them instantly." I turned to face the other penguins. "If you see one, warn everyone else and steer clear. It will snap your neck, and there will be nothing any of us can do about it. So keep your eyes open." 

Skipper nodded. "Got that, soldiers?" Everyone nodded, and Kowalski nodded as well, standing slowly.

"T-thank you, Hannah. You... you saved my life." Kowalski said quietly. 

I held the penguin's gaze for a moment, and gave him a quick nod. I turned away from him and continued leading the penguins through the forest.

I sighed miserably as the rain kept pouring down, soaking my feathers. We had to find shelter.

I looked around, inspecting the trees, and finally found what I was looking for. A hole in the side of a tree. "We should shelter in there for the night," I said, motioning to the gap.

Skipper nodded. "Pile in, men!" He ordered.

They three penguins nodded, and climbed inside. I didn't follow them. I sat outside of the gap, shivering in the rain. I didn't want to talk to them. I didn't even want to look at them.

"Coming, soldier?" Skipper asked, waiting for me to enter before him. 

I shook my head. "I-I'll keep watch," I lied.

Skipper looked at me for a moment longer, then disappeared through the gap in the tree. I huddled against the tree, shivering from the cold rain. I had given Rico the walkie-talkie (which, of course, he swallowed) so if Aidan called or if anything happened, we could contact each other.

The rain started coming down even harder, and the thunder became louder. I worried about Aidan. She was a genius when it came to outdoor survival, but I couldn't help wondering if she had camped on high ground, or if she had time before nightfall to make a decent shelter.

I heard movement, and I stood up quickly.

Kowalski had exited the gap in the tree. "Why are you sitting out here?" He asked, worry lingering in his tone.

"I'm keeping watch," I lied, feeling the cold rain trickle down my feathers.

Kowalski looked at me. "You just want to avoid us," He said, making more of a statement than a question.

"So what if I do?" I asked, shivering. "Kowalski, I can't go back to my cousin's house like this. I just can't. She'll have to tell my parents that she lost me in the woods or something. I won't ever see my family again!" I sobbed, covering my face with my flippers.

I felt something slide around my shoulders. Kowalski had rested his flipper around me. I couldn't tell if he was trying to warm me up or comfort me. "If we find the right supplies... I might be able to make another antidote."

I tried to pull away from him, but he kept a firm hold of my shoulders. "Please, Hannah. I don't want you to hate me. I completely blame myself for this, and I know that if I try hard enough, I can fix it."

I didn't reply right away. After a few awkward moments, I said, "I don't hate you, Kowalski. I just... I don't understand why you would do this. I'm truly a human. It would never work out between us, just like it would never work out with Aidan and Private."

Kowalski turned me towards him, and he looked me right in the eye. "I did this because..." He paused, and another awkward silence pursued.

"Because...? Because you're selfish? Because you thought I'd actually enjoy becoming a penguin against my will? Because you don't care about my dreams for the future?"

Kowalski shook his head. "I did this because I thought you felt the same way I do."

**Aww! Will I (Hannah) continue to reject Kowalski? We shall see… R & R!**


	17. Chapter 17

**-Chapter 17-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

The figure grew closer than paused just outside my shelter. It couldn't see it, thank god. I watched it with fright.

The dogs sniffed and growled slightly. One suddenly turned its head towards the way I had come, and it howled. It ran off, followed quickly by the other dog. The figure soon followed.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Suddenly, the figure stopped to turn and look at my shelter. It walked back over to it and seemed to stare right at me. I didn't dare move. A dog howled from a distance away and the figure shrugged and went to follow the dogs. 

I waited for another five minutes in my shelter, waiting to see if they would come back. Nothing happened. I sighed in relief. Now I have to hope the dogs didn't scent Hannah.


	18. Chapter 18

**-Chapter 18-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I felt a pang of guilt. "Kowalski, I-"

I was cut off as I heard a loud howl in the distance. I shrieked in fright.

Kowalski stared into the forest, taking a step towards me. "What was that?"

"I-I don't know," I said, shaking with fear. "We should wake up the others-"

I felt something slam into me, and I let out another shriek as I was slammed into the ground. I looked up at my attacker. It was a dog... a big dog... It glared down at me, anger and hunger in its eyes. 

Kowalski immediately threw himself at the dog, kicking it in the face. The dog let out a growl and took a few steps back. Kowalski rushed to my side and stood in front of me protectively.

"Kowalski, no! It'll kill you-" I was cut off as I heard a few more howls; two more shapes prowled into the clearing, towards Kowalski and I. 

Skipper, Rico and Private leapt out of the gap in the tree and made a semi-circle around me, landing in their fighting stances. "Kowalski, options!" Skipper said quickly.

"There are 3 dogs, and 4 of us-" Kowalski began.

"No, 5 of us." I said, standing. "I'm not letting you guys fight alone."

There was no time to argue. "Private, you're with Rico. Hannah, you're with Kowalski. I'll take on the leader," Skipper ordered. We all nodded and moved out.

Kowalski and I attacked from either side of one of the fierce dogs. I kicked it in the shoulder, and it yelped in pain, stumbling towards Kowalski, who kicked it right in the snout. Suddenly, I felt something land near my leg.

Rico had given me the walkie-talkie.

"Aidan!" I yelled into the device. 


	19. Chapter 19

**-Chapter 19-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

"Aidan!" I heard from the walkie-talkie. I jumped in surprise and grabbed the device quickly.

"WHAT?"

"DOGS! HELP!"

Suddenly I heard her scream and the walkie-talkie had static. My eyes widened and I jumped out of the shelter, only to trip. I loved what I tripped on and grinned. I picked it up, jumped on the four-wheeler and started after the sound of dogs.

**-Later-**

I arrived to see the penguins being attacked by two rottweilers. I frowned and raised what I had tripped on.

I pulled the trigger. A bullet raced past the head of a dog and it yipped in terror, running with its tail between its legs, followed by the others.

I grinned. _Thank you random figure for dropping your gun_. I got of my four-wheeler and walked over. Why were there five penguins?

"Aidan!" One walked up to me.

I blinked. "Hannah!"

"Yes... by the way, work on your aim. You hit me with the vile."

"Well you shouldn't have tried to stop me!" I snapped, picking her up. I put her on the four-wheeler and started it up. The penguins looked at me as I started it up.

"Stay away from me and my cousin. You don't, I shoot you. And don't think I won't." I threatened angrily. I hit the gas and sped away.

Hannah looked at me. "Can you change me back?"

"You can bet."

"Even without Kowalski?"

"I don't need a penguin's help."


	20. Chapter 20

**-Chapter 20-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

As we sped away on the 4-wheeler, I watched the penguins. Kowalski stared after me helplessly, Private frowned, Rico looked confused, and Skipper looked stunned.

This was wrong. We couldn't leave them in unfamiliar territory. No matter what they did to me, I just couldn't do this. Sure, I wanted to be human again. More than anything. But the penguins- my friends- needed me. "Aidan, stop."

"What?" 

"You heard me. STOP!" I yelled, throwing myself at the brakes and yanking on them.

"Are you crazy?" Aidan exclaimed as the ATV came to a stop.

"Yes, but that's a different conversation. Aidan, we can't leave them out here! It's... wrong." I replied, pointing towards them.

Aidan raised the gun. "Then I'll put 'em out of their misery." 

I stepped in front of the barrel of the gun. "You can try." I said, flippers crossed.

Aidan lowered the gun. "You really are crazy. Hannah, they wanted to take you back to the zoo!"

"And you think they're the type of people- er, penguins- that would do something like that? They wouldn't just drag me back to the zoo against my will, Aidan."

"How do you know?"

"Because I trust them!" I snarled. "And I suggest you learn to trust them too." Then I looked up at my cousin innocently, and said quietly, "What about Private, cuz?"


	21. Chapter 21

**-Chapter 21-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

"What about Private, cuz?" 

I froze and looked at her. "What _about_ Private?"

"Don't you like him?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah… wait, you mean… Oh. My. GOD!"

Hannah looked at me questioningly.

"You have fallen in love with Kowalski!" I accused with anger and horror. "I can't believe you! They betrayed us!"

Hannah hopped down off the four-wheeler. "No, they didn't!"

I frowned angrily. "Oh. They didn't? _LOOK_ at yourself, Hannah! You're a penguin! You want to stay like that your whole life? What about your dreams! What about being a marine biologist, huh?" I said coldly. "Well. I don't know about you, but I want to accomplish my dreams and I'm not stopping for some penguins that lost their way and want us to stay. So yeah, call me a narcissist! Call me the bad guy. I don't care. I'm going to follow my dream." I say. "I am going to be a forensic anthropologist. And _NOTHING_ is going to stop me. So you choose Hannah: friends, family… LIFE! Or penguins. You choose."

I threw the gun at her feet and revved the four-wheeler. "Find your own way home." I revved the four-wheeler again and drove off.


	22. Chapter 22

**-Chapter 22-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I stood frozen in shock as my cousin sped away from my on her 4-wheeler. She left me... now there was no way I was getting back. 

Did I really mean that I trusted the penguins? Of course. I meant every word that I said, every bit was true. But would I choose the penguins (and Kowalski) over my human life, friends and family? The life I had always known? I didn't know.

Was I in love with Kowalski?  
>... Yes.<br>So did that make it... _wrong?_ Was it wrong to love a penguin? I didn't have an answer to that either.

I felt tears coming. I gulped and tried to hold them back, but couldn't. The droplets spilled out of my eyes (concluding that penguins, well, at least I, could cry) and down my face. Then I noticed the gun.

I kicked it away with a snarl, hating how Aidan had threatened the penguins with it. I heard quiet footsteps come up from behind me and I turned.

The penguins walked up to me, hesitantly. Skipper was the first to speak.

"Soldier... that was very brave of you to say. To stand up for us was completely unexpected, and appreciated." The commando penguin smiled. "Thank you."

I didn't reply. Kowalski looked at me with worry in his eyes. "Are you... okay?"

I shook my head slowly. "Guys... I just need to be alone for a while." The penguins silently moved out of my way as I slowly wandered into the forest. 


	23. Chapter 23

**-Chapter 23-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

I had gone back to the shelter to get my bag, the rain falling around me like the sky was crying. I was fuming. Getting on the four-wheeler, I zoomed towards my house. Who cares if Hannah got lost? _The penguins would save her._ I was thinking bitter thoughts, ready to bite some one's head off.

I couldn't believe her. How could she. If I could, I would probably flip the four-wheeler over. If this was a T.V show, smoke would be coming from my ears. Sure, maybe I was being ridiculous, but when I get angry (Really easily), I stayed angry for a while. It didn't help with the fact that it was pouring and I was soaked. If I couldn't find home soon, I swear I would kill the next living thing I saw.


	24. Chapter 24

**-Chapter 24-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I sighed as I trudged through the dark forest in the cold rain, a swarm of anger and confusion clouding my thoughts. A million questions throbbed in my brain at once. Why me? Why did I have to make this decision?

It wasn't fair.

Why couldn't I have the best of both worlds? As a human, I could accomplish my dreams; hang out with family members and friends... and as a penguin... I could be with Kowalski, and maybe even learn a few defensive moves from Skipper and the rest of the team.

I heard a twig snap behind me. Instead of spinning around and screaming, I said quietly, "Kowalski, I know you're there. You can come out." I slowly turned around. 

The tall intellectual penguin stepped out of the undergrowth. "S-sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay..." 

"It's fine. I could actually use some company." I murmured.

Kowalski and I walked side-by-side into the dark forest, our flippers occasionally brushing. After about five minutes of silence (besides the pouring rain), I felt Kowalski hesitantly reach out towards my flipper and grasp it in his own. He looked at me and smiled, and I managed a half-hearted grin. 

_It can't be like this, _I thought_, it would be easier for both of us if we just ended it. Right now. Then Kowalski could go on doing... whatever it is he wants to do... and I could just go back to my cousin. My family and friends. I can't be a penguin. If I could be a penguin just half the time and a human the other half- sure. Like that's going to happen. I need to just get angry at Kowalski. Then he'll hate me, too, and it would be impossible for me to change my mind after.  
><em>

_I have to do this.  
><em>

"Kowalski..." I began, feeling my voice start to choke up.

"Yes?" He halted, and turned to face me, still holding my flipper.

"I... I..." _I can do this._ "We... we c-can't go on like this." I pulled away from him and tried my hardest not to make eye contact with him. I would surely break down if I saw his expression.

Kowalski frowned. "Go on like what? What do you mean?" He asked, looking slightly hurt that I pulled away from him.

A surge of anger came over me. "You know what I mean, Kowalski! We can't be together, it just isn't possible! _I. Am. Human_. This... this isn't me! I'm not truly a penguin! I have _human _dreams. A _human_ life. And I can't have a _normal_ life if I stay with you!" I yelled.

Kowalski looked shocked. There was a long, awkward silence. After a few long moments, Kowalski murmured, "I-I don't understand..."

"Really?" I snarled, my voice choking up and my vision blurring with tears. "I thought you were the smart one."

Kowalski, hurt, looked at me one last time. "And I thought you were the perfect one." He said softly. With that, he spun around and started walking back in the direction of the hollow tree, where the other penguins were waiting, never looking back once.

I sobbed quietly, and leaned against a tree. "I-it had to be done." I assured myself.

Something inside me told me that I was wrong. *Very* wrong. I shoved the thought away, and focused on trying to get back to Aidan's house. 

But no matter how many times I told myself that I had done the right thing... I couldn't accept it.


	25. Chapter 25

**-Chapter 25-**  
><em><strong>[Author's Note (Aidan)- Happy Mother's Day Everyone, hope you got something special for the woman who brought you into this world]<br>**_  
><strong>-Aidan's POV-<strong> 

Thunder cracked overhead as I slowed down the four-wheeler. A sight caught my eye as I went into a complete stop.

I got off and went over to look at it. Four perfectly healthy bunnies lay dead in a patch of wet dirt. They looked freshly dead. I walked over and felt one of them. Still warm. Yet, as I stood and looked at the mud for tracks of any predators, none were there.

What had killed these bunnies? No blood, no injuries. All died at the same time so it couldn't be disease. No tracks of predators that could have caused them to die of fear. It stumped me.

The woods were growing dark and I didn't want to stick around to see what killed them. I jumped on the four-wheeler and sighed at my own paranoia.

Hannah always laughed at me when I got paranoid and freaked out, but it wasn't my fault. It was just the way I was.

I revved the four-wheeler and sped off, lightning lighting up the forest, causing me to see faces.

I drove faster, hearing something chasing. Driven by fear I let my instincts tell me where to drive. The sound of pursuit behind me grew closer and louder. I bit my lip so I wouldn't scream.

Suddenly, instincts failed.

The four-wheeler collided with a rock and I went flying. My shoulder got rammed by a tree which caused me to spin and hit a rock. I slumped to the ground, groaning.

Footsteps began to grow closer and I began to crawl away using my good arm, the other one hanging limply by my side.

A hand grabbed my bad shoulder and I yelped from the pain, white lights flashing in my vision. I was forced to stop. The person… the thing grabbing me forced me to turn and look at them.

I screamed.


	26. Chapter 26

**-Chapter 26-  
>-Hannah's POV-<strong>

I heard a loud crash, soon followed by a scream. I swung around towards the noise and ran as fast as I could. There was no time to get the penguins. Hell, they probably wouldn't help me, either.

Soon, I saw Aidan trying to escape the grasp of a shadowy figure: A well-muscled man. "Aidan!" I shrieked.

Bad idea.

The man swung around to face me. He lunged forward and grabbed my wing, and carelessly threw me into a box attached to a four-wheeler. He grabbed Aidan and dragged her onto the four-wheeler, and sped off.

My wing throbbed with pain, and I was so sore I didn't want to move. So I yelled.

"HELP US!"

**-Kowalski's POV-**

I joined Skipper, Rico and Private back at the hollow tree, my mind swarming with thoughts and confusion.

"Soldier, where's Hannah?" Skipper demanded.

I was about to reply, then I heard the roar of an engine, and a familiar voice. It yelled, "HELP US!"

I didn't care at that moment what Hannah thought of me. She was in danger, and all that mattered to me was her safety. "Skipper, we have to do something!"

"Rico!" Skipper yelled, motioning to the weapon-crazed penguin. Rico hacked up the grapple gun and tossed it to Skipper.

"Hang on, men!" We all grabbed onto the gun as Skipper fired it at the moving vehicle.

I could see Aidan. She looked seriously injured, and she was hanging limply over the side of the four-wheeler. A man was holding her arm in an iron grip.

But why couldn't I see Hannah?

_**Just wanted to thank everyone for the great reviews/suggestions! Kowalski's POV was also written by me (Hannah). Keep reading, keep reviewing!**_


	27. Chapter 27

**-Chapter 27-  
>-Aidan's POV-<strong>

I woke to feel myself being thrown into a hard surface. I groaned and spit blood out of my mouth. I managed to open my eyes and see we were in a truck.

A man with a mask was holding Hannah-penguin. He smirked. "You'll get me a lot of money, talking penguin."

"NO!" Hannah struggled and he laughed, duct taping her mouth shut, and wrapping her in duct tape and throwing her beside me.

"Leave her alone!" I croaked, sore as heck. The man laughed and hit me.

I felt blood trickle down my mouth. I managed to get enough strength to punch him. He dodged easily and hit me in the back of the head again.  
>He began to tie me with duct tape. I struggled but every time again, I was beaten.<p>

My body felt broken. I gave up struggling. Hannah was unconscious. I was in no shape to do anything.

What would he do to us?

**-Kowalski's POV-**

The strange man had thrown Aidan into a truck, and pulled Hannah out of a wooden crate. I heard Aidan say something, and Hannah yell, "NO!" The man laughed and hit Aidan, and tied up Hannah with duct tape. He threw her carelessly into the truck and closed the doors. He ran around to the driver's side of the truck and hopped in, revving the engine.

Skipper fired the grapple gun again, and we were soon standing on top of the truck.

"Rico, take out that driver! No mercy!" Skipper ordered.

Rico grinned, hacked up a crowbar, and broke the window. He jumped inside the truck, and the man started shouting.

"Kowalski and Private, you're with me. Let's get those girls out of there!"

I nodded, and hastily opened the back doors. The truck was still in motion, signaling to us that the man was still fighting Rico. We gripped onto the open doors and jumped inside the truck.

The sight was awful.

Hannah wasn't moving. I couldn't even tell if she was breathing. Her beak was wrapped up with duct tape, and so was her body. One wing was bent at an awkward angle, possibly broken.

Aidan was even worse. Her arm hung loosely at her side, and blood trickled from the side of her mouth. She had many bruises and cuts, and you could tell that she hadn't gone down without a fight.

Suddenly, the truck jerked to a stop. I could hear Rico yelling gibberish, and the man was still shouting.

We had to get the girls out of the truck.

**-Aidan's POV-**

Through the fog of pain I heard small forms get into the truck. The truck had stopped and the sound of fighting could be heard.

I felt a flipper on my arm, then another, gently pushing towards the exit. I managed to catch myself as I got out, wincing but managing to not cry out. The pain caused flashes to temporarily blind me.

I saw Kowalski carrying Hannah and Private looking at me worriedly.

I saw Rico in the corner of my eye, finally knock out the guy. He, Private and Skipper began to tie him up as I carefully sat against a tree. Kowalski gently placed Hannah beside me.

I closed my eyes, mentally and physically exhausted and hurt. My body felt numb, yet sore. I could feel myself bleeding. The last thing I heard before I blacked out was Private.

"Aidan…?"

**-Hannah's POV-**

I opened my eyes, black dots bordering my vision. I couldn't move. I realized that I was wrapped up in duct tape. I wriggled back and forth for a moment, instantly regretting it. I let out a muffled cry of pain and leaned back against the tree I was propped against.

I felt something -or someone- touch my arm gently. "Are you okay?"

I recognized Kowalski's voice immediately. I turned my head towards him. Carefully, he reached out a flipper towards my face and removed the duct tape from my beak. "T-thanks."

Kowalski nodded, and began removing the duct tape from the rest of my body. I noticed Aidan out of the corner of my eye. She wasn't moving.

As soon as Kowalski removed the duct tape from me, I rushed over to my cousin. "Aidan?" Tears edged my vision. "Oh God... Kowalski, is she dead?"

Kowalski stood at my side. "No, she blacked out a few moments ago. She'll be okay." He promised.

Private was standing by Aidan's side, examining her limp, bleeding arm. "K'walski..." He said, looking at Aidan worriedly.

Kowalski walked over to stand by Private, and examined Aidan's arm carefully. He felt along her arm, and his eyes widened after a few moments.

"I think her arm is broken. I can feel the break."

* * *

><p><strong>These were originally seperate chapters, but I (Hannah) thought they were WAY too short, so I put 'em together, so sorry if the constantly changing POV's is annoying. I'll tell Aidan that we really need to start writing longer chapters. Review!<strong>


	28. Chapter 28

**-Chapter 28-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

I woke to a shooting pain in my arm, and the rest of my body. Hannah and the penguins were asleep.

I groaned and leaned my head back. I heard something rustle and looked over. Private had woken up. He looked over.

"Aidan!" He said quietly and walked over. "You're awake!"

"And I feel like complete crap," I said hoarsely.

Private didn't reply. He looked slightly guilty.

"Private?" 

"Yes?" 

"What's wrong?"

"…Your arm…. Is broken."

"WHAT... OW!"

**-Hannah's POV-**

I groaned and rolled over, trying to fall asleep. I was sore, and my entire body felt broken. My wing, after examination by Kowalski, was thought to have a small fracture. I groaned again.

I felt something tap my shoulder. I turned my head.

Kowalski was looking right at me. "Sore?" He asked.

"Hell, yeah." I said, wincing in pain as I touched my wing. "Umm... about what I said before... I didn't mean it, Kowalski. Not a word of it."

Kowalski smiled, and his eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Well, I can't exactly hate someone who has saved my life about a million times, can I?" I asked with a grin.

Kowalski chuckled softly. "You should get some sleep."

"I've been tryin' to." I said with a playful roll of my eyes. "It's a little bit hard to sleep with a fractured wing and a bunch of bruises."

"I'd assume so." Kowalski replied.

I rolled my eyes again, and examined my flipper again. I poked it again and winced in pain.

"Stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?" I asked the intellectual penguin.

"Touching your wing. You're hurting yourself."

"It feels funny."

"Then stop."

"I'm bored."

"You get pleasure from hurting yourself?"

"No."

"Then stop."

I looked at my awkwardly bent wing. "That ain't normal." 

"I _told _you to stop touching it!"

"It already looked like that."

Kowalski groaned. "Not my point."

"You're funny."

**-Aidan's POV-**

I woke up and saw Hannah and Kowalski flirting. I laughed, and then groaned because it hurt.

Private looked at me with concern. I sat up and looked around, and turned to look at my arm. Was it really broken?

I suddenly felt hungry. I tried to stand and walk over to the truck the man had thrown Hannah and me into, but fell flat on my face.

Private ran over to me. "Oh my! Aidan, are you okay?"

I spat dirt out of my mouth. "What do you think?" I asked irritably.

Private helped me up. "Aidan... did you really mean all of those things you said earlier?"

"Things...?" I asked guiltily.

Private looked at me pointedly. I sighed.

"I was just angry... and confused."

He sighed, and was about to say something when Skipper came over and glared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Why did that man try to capture you?"

"Heck if I know," I replied.

"You must be double agents for Dr. Blowhole!" He accused.

"What?" I exclaimed angrily.

"Yes! It all makes sense now!"

"What makes sense?"

"You! The appearance of you and your cousin in our habitat!"

"What? That's insane!"

"Not so," Skipper replied, starting to pace.

"You're making no sense!" I yelled.

"Oh, but I am."

"You sound like Lady Gaga!"

"What? What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"I DON'T KNOW!" I said angrily.

"Oh! You mean he has a p-p-p-poker face p-p-poker face?" Hannah asked.

"EXACTLY!" I exclaimed.

The penguins looked at me like I was crazy.

"Well?" I asked.

"'Well' what?" Skipper asked.

"Apologize!" I snapped.

"For what?"

"Accusing us!"

"Well, it's probably true!"

"How do you know?" I yelled.

"AIDAN!" Hannah yelled.

"Well!" I threw my arms up in the air, exasperated. 


	29. Chapter 29

**-Chapter 29-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

After about 20 minutes of arguing, I was able to convince Skipper that Aidan and I were not agents for the so-called "Dr. Blowhole."

Now, it was about 1:00 in the morning (well, I assumed. I didn't have my IPod with me) and I was bored out of my mind.  
>I was leaning against a tree, sitting beside Kowalski, and I was looking over at Private and Aidan. They were leaning against a rock across from us, Aidan cradling her broken arm against her chest. They talked quietly.<p>

Kowalski looked at me quizzically. "What are you thinking?"

"Hmm?"

"You look like you're planning to do something, and by the way you're looking at your cousin, I'm assuming it can't be good," the intellectual penguin replied.

I laughed. "I'm scheming." I grinned, suddenly getting an idea. I leaned over to Kowalski and whispered my plan to him.

"I don't know if that's such a great idea..." Kowalski said.

"Please?" I said, fluttering my eyelids. "For me?"

Kowalski sighed. "Fine."

I grinned and waddled over to Aidan and Private. Kowalski dove into the undergrowth, and climbed up the back of a tree behind Aidan and Private's rock.

"Hello, Hannah..." Aidan said cautiously, looking at me suspiciously. 

"Hey hey," I replied. "AIDAN, LOOK OUT!"

Kowalski broke a large branch from the top of the tree at my signal, and it fell towards Aidan.

Private, thinking quickly (and exactly as I predicted), shoved Aidan out of the way.

The branch landed inches away from where Aidan had been sitting only moments ago.

The best part? Private and Aidan had landed with their faces only inches away from each other.

"Well, that was fun. I'll give you guys some alone time," I said, walking back to the tree Kowalski and I had been leaning against. 

Kowalski soon joined me, and I hugged him. "Thanks."

"Are you sure that worked?" He asked.

"Eh... I'm about 30.5 percent sure that it worked." I shrugged. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

**-Aidan's POV-**

I coughed awkwardly, vowing to kill Hannah later. Private blushed and got off. I sat up and stood, sighing. That Hannah. Wait…. How did Private do that…. I'm still human. My eyes widened. Super penguins. I shook my head and rolled my eyes at my own paranoia.

I looked over at Hannah then yawned. I walked over to her and looked down at her penguin-form. "What was that?" I demanded.

"What was what?"

"You know! The whole getting Kowalski to try and make the branch fall on me!"

"I would never do that!"

"You just did!"

"Where's your proof?"

"I saw you!"

"So? For all I know you're on meds and you were hallucinating!"

"I'm not on meds! _You _should be though."

"Well, I am offended."

"And I have a broken arm! What the heck were you thinking?"

"…. Nothing."

"EXACTLY."


	30. Chapter 30

**-Chapter 30-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I watched Aidan storm away. "Damn. That didn't work."

Kowalski rolled his eyes. "No kidding."

"Time for a new plan. OOH! I've always wanted to do this... Kowalski, options!" I said with a grin

Kowalski chuckled, and whipped out his clipboard. "We could trap them in a room together."

"Tempting... but not really possible. We're in the middle of the woods, remember?"

"Oh, right... Option two: turn Aidan back into a penguin."

"Hell no. She'd kill me."

"Alright, Option three: We tell Private to admit his feelings to Aidan."

"OOH! I like that idea. When do we put this into action?" I asked eagerly.

"How about now?" Kowalski motioned to the embarrassed penguin, who was waddling away awkwardly.

"Good plan." I slid on my belly over to Private (which was not hard for me to master) and stopped him. "Hey, Private. Why so... glum?"

Private looked away. "It's kind of... embarrassing to say."

"Aww, come on Private! You trust me, don't you?"

The young penguin lifted his head. "I suppose."

"Good enough. Well? What's bothering you?"

"Well... you see... I kind of like Aidan... But I'm not sure how she feels about me in return..."

"Really?" I asked, trying to act somewhat surprised.

"Yes. I... I just don't know what to do."

"Well, Private, it's your lucky day."

"It is?"

"Yes. Yes it is. I can read my cousin like a book." I thought for a moment. "How... exactly... has she been acting around you?"

"Well... irritable, I suppose."

"Oh. That's almost never good." I coughed. "Anyway... why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

"Will that work?" Private asked, tipping his head to one side.

"Well, it should. If not... um... you can hit me with a... frying pan."

"Oh. That sounds a little violent."

"S'all good, Private. I'd deserve it. So go, young penguin! GO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!"

"Um... okay...?"

"Sorry. I get a little crazy when I'm deprived of food. Seriously, I'm starving."

"Okay... I'm going to go tell Aidan how I feel about her..."

"I'm proud of you."

With that, the young penguin waddled away. I walked back over to Kowalski and sat beside him.

"You'll really let him hit you with a frying pan?" Kowalski asked.

"Sure," I said, "if he can actually find one in the middle of the woods."

**-Aidan's POV-**

I sighed, laying down and watching the clouds through the top of the trees. I was bored, wanted to go home and if Hannah didn't stop being an idiot and trying to kill me soon, I was going to crack some heads.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down, reciting random facts in my head.

I heard some soft footsteps and looked over at Private. "Hey Private, did you know the largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69. From 1725-1765, a Russian peasant woman gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets. I feel so bad for her," I said randomly, laying back down.

Private looked at me in slight horror. I nodded gravely then grinned. "So what's up?" I asked, laying my head back down in the grass.

"U-uh… I w-wanted t-to t-tell y-you that-t I-I…."

"Are you okay, Private?"

"AidanIreally reallylikeyou andIdidn't knowhow totellyouso Hannahtriedto helpmegetthe couragetotell youandshe toldmetotell yourightnow," He said super-fast.

I blinked. "Uh… I can talk pretty fast, but even I didn't understand that…. Private?" He had fainted.

Oops.

**-Hannah's POV-**

After talking with Kowalski for a while, I decided to see how Private was doing.

He had passed out. And Aidan was staring at him, repeating his name over and over.

"Eh... Kowalski...?"

"Yes?"

"I think Private... kinda... fainted."

"... Oh."

"Maybe we should... do something about that, huh?"

"Most definitely." The intellectual penguin replied.

We waddled over to the unconscious Private. "Heh... um, what happened here, Aidan?" I asked.

"I have no clue," she replied, "he said something really fast that I didn't catch, then he fainted."

"Something fast that _you_ didn't catch? Woah. Did your eardrums explode or something?"

Aidan rolled her eyes and shoved me. I grumbled something under my breath and stood. "Anyway... How do we wake Private up?"

"By doing something that will shock him or startle him," Kowalski replied.

"Oh, fun," I said, "what about slapping him?"

Kowalski shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"Sweet." I slapped the young penguin across the face. Twice.

Aidan's mouth dropped open. "HANNAH!"

"What? It's supposed to help!"

"Hannah." Kowalski said.

"Yes?"

"It didn't work."

I looked down at the unmoving Private. "Oh. Oops. Uh... anymore ideas? Anyone?"

"KABOOM!" Rico said with a grin, walking over to join us, Skipper close behind.

"Eh, no Rico. I meant something that doesn't mean certain death and/or destruction."

"Aww."


	31. Chapter 31

**-Chapter 31-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

We had managed to wake Private up without any explosives, thankfully and we were nearing home. My home… civilization.

As we walked back I thought of something, both the four-wheelers were gone, I had a broken arm and Hannah was a penguin. I turned to said penguin.

"Hannah."

"Yes…?"

"What are we going to tell my mom?"

"Hel-"

"LANGUAGE!" 

"….Spanish."

"I'm serious!"

"Uh…. We got attacked by that guy, he tried to kidnap us, he beat you but you managed to escape but he got me?"

"…" I looked at her solemnly. "You sure?" She nodded.

When we reached my house I told the penguins to hide with Hannah. They did. I walked inside and my mom saw me. She freaked and tried to get me to explain 'what had happened'. To make it more realistic I actually cried… it felt like real tears. She told me she was going to call the police and for me to go rest.

I limped up to my room, still sore. When I got in there Skipper was examining my room, Rico was glaring at my cat Gus, Private was looking around and Hannah was asleep, Kowalski watching her.

"You mind?" I asked Skipper slightly grumpily.

"Not at all, soldier."

I face-palmed. "I mean please don't 'army search' my room." 

"You have a lot of books, I see…"

"Something wrong with that?"

"…It's suspicious…"

"You think everything is suspicious!"

"AH HA! How would you know that if you weren't spying on us?" He cried, pointing an accusing flipper at me.

I face-palmed again "Haven't we been over this?" I asked.

"….. Fair enough. I'm still watching you though. Hannah I trust… but you? Smart kid, martial arts brown belt, knows Spanish… who reads! What kind of sick person does that?"

My eye twitched. "Men."


	32. Chapter 32

**-Chapter 32-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I woke up the following morning, so early the sun hadn't even risen over the mountains yet. I sighed, and shifted, trying to get comfortable.

I felt someone's eyes on me. I rolled over, and came face-to-face with Kowalski, who had been lying beside me. "GAH- geez, Kowalski, you gave me a mini heart attack," I whisper-yelled, trying not to wake up the others.

He chuckled. "Sorry."

I sighed. "Have you finished the antidote?"

The intellectual penguin shook his head. "I'm short on supplies; I might need to ask Aidan to obtain a few items."

I sighed again. "Oh." I turned away from him. I wasn't mad at him; he had been working all night. I just wanted to be human again as soon as possible.

He looked slightly hurt. "Why in such a hurry to become human again?" He asked, turning my head towards his face.

"I feel so guilty, Kowalski! My parents and my aunt are worried sick about me, thinking that I was kidnapped!" My voice shook. "I-I just feel so... bad..." I realized I was crying, and I struggled to fight back the tears, and my throat tightened. "Kowalski... they might think I'm dead!" I pressed my face into my flippers, and I was aware of the other penguins and Aidan beginning to stir. I struggled to pull myself together.

Kowalski placed a flipper around my shoulders, and I placed my head on his shoulder, taking a few deep breaths in attempt to calm down. I sighed. _Well. My life sucks right now. _


	33. Chapter 33

**-Chapter 33-  
>-Aidan's POV-<br>**

I had biked down to the general store and was walking through the aisles getting what Kowalski had told me to get. "A light bulb, three double A batteries… ah! A yoyo. Oh, beef jerky!" I paid for the supplies, and my beef jerky, and got on my bike.

I sighed. Why couldn't my life be normal? I was good, did my homework, got straight A's. What had I done to deserve this? All I wanted was to grow up to be a forensic anthropologist, have some money and help provide for my family while fulfilling my life's dream. Is that too hard to ask? Apparently.

"Stupid life," I muttered as I peddled towards my house. This had all started when we visited the penguins. If we hadn't, Hannah wouldn't be 'missing' and a penguin. I wouldn't have a broken arm and the police wouldn't be searching for the man.

I arrived at my house to see a state trooper car outside. I swore under my breath and put down the bike stop. I walked in to see my mom talking to a pair of Troopers. One looked up and saw me. "Hello Aidan, we just want to ask you a few questions about the man that hurt you." He said, as if talking to a child.

I frowned. "Well, what are they?" I said, trying not to snap.

"Can you describe his looks?"

I sat down. "In detail?"

"As much as you can."

I paused and thought.

"He had light brown hair, and it was cut short, almost in a military style. He had high cheek bones with a short neck and a puffy lower lip. He had an 'x' shaped scar on his forehead and a goatee. His eyes were blue and one was paler than the other. He was tall, about 6'5. And muscular. He had a slight Italian accent, though it had something under that, rougher, like German." The trooper raised an eyebrow as his partner hurriedly wrote down what I said.

"Are you sure? I know you were in a lot of pain then."

"I'm positive," I said firmly. "Is that all, officers?"

They nodded. "For now. Don't worry, we will find your cousin." They exited and my mom looked at me worriedly.

I shook my head and hurried up stairs. I opened my bedroom door and saw no one. I rolled my eyes and closed the door, sitting down on my bed. "Just me, you guys," I called. Hannah popped out of my closet, Rico from under my bed. Private jumped down from a hanging light and Skipper just appeared, I'm not sure from where. "Where's Kowa-" I began, only to hear someone going through my bag. He went through the objects, nodding.

"What's with the beef je-"

"MINE!" I cried and grabbed it. I glared at Kowalski when he gave me a funny look. He went back to the science. Hannah rolled her eyes.

"Wow cousin."

"Don't make me speak Spanish."

"What?"

"Hueles como un burro y su cara me recuerda a uno. También está en el amor con un pingüino."

"...Okay?"

**Spanish translation: **

"**Hueles como un burro y su cara me recuerda a uno. También está en el amor con un pingüino."**

_**You smell like a donkey and your face reminds me of one. Also, you're in love with a penguin.  
><strong>__  
><em>


	34. Chapter 34

**-Chapter 34-  
>-Hannah's POV-<br>**

I jumped up onto Aidan's bed and opened her laptop. I frowned as I noticed she had it passcode locked.

"Password?" I asked.

"No way I'm giving it to you!" Aidan said, tearing open her package of beef jerky.

I shrugged. "Suit yourself." I tapped a few keys and made a few clicks, hacking into her account. "Didn't need it."

Her jaw dropped. "How did you-?"

"A friend from school taught me how to hack the school computers," I said with a grin.

"... Why?"

I shrugged. "It wasn't hard to figure out. So don't go calling me an idiot, 'cus. I also know how to pick locks." I returned my gaze to the computer screen, and looked up an online translator. I typed in the words Aidan said to me. "You smell like a... HEY! Not. Cool," I said as I read the Spanish-to-English translation. "Okay, the first part was a LIE." I continued reading, then I read the last part, about me being in love with a penguin. "Okay... last part, I don't exactly disagree with."

"You really need to learn Spanish," Aidan said with a roll of her eyes.

"No thanks. I'm taking Latin next year."

"What exactly _was _the translation?" Kowalski inquired, jumping up onto the bed and standing next to me.

"NOTHING!" I said, slamming the top of the laptop closed. I turned to face him, feeling a blush emerge from under my feathers. "... Hehe. Nothing. Nothing at all." Kowalski opened his beak to say something else, but I interrupted, "Hey, how's the antidote coming along?"

"Almost complete," Kowalski said.

"THANK GOD!" I said, practically hurling myself at Kowalski and embracing him. "Uhh... not that I hate being a penguin or anything..."

Aidan gave me a weird look. I coughed, and stood. "Anyway... how about we do something to pass the time?"

"Like what?" Skipper asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Nothing illegal, if that's what you think I'm up to," I replied with a grin.

"Well, then what exactly _are_ you thinking?"

I thought for a moment. "Something... fun?" I offered.

"You might want to be more descriptive," Kowalski said.

"Geez, I don't know!" I jumped off the bed and waddled over to Aidan's closet, jumping up and grabbing the handle with my good flipper. It opened slowly, and I walked inside.

"Hannah, what are you doing?" I heard Aidan call.

"Something," I replied, searching the shelves. "BINGO!" I pulled my IPod touch from my bag and waddled out of the closet with a satisfied grin.

"... That's it?" Aidan asked.

"Yup." Aidan raised an eyebrow. "DUDE. I wanted to listen to music." I jumped up on her nightstand and searched for her MP3 player headphones. I plugged them in, and fit them to my head loosely. "Let's see how terribly this fails." I struggled to hold the device in my flippers, and pressed a few buttons. "YES! It works." I flopped down on Aidan's pillow, closing my eyes with satisfaction.

I opened my eyes a moment later. Everyone was staring at me. I paused the song and removed my headphones. "What? Never seen a penguin listen to music?"

"Nope," Skipper said.  
>"Nu-uh," Rico grunted.<br>"Can't say I have," Kowalski chuckled.  
>"Uh... no," Private said.<p>

I rolled my eyes. "Well, there's a first time for everything. Besides, I'm keeping myself entertained." I stood, did a random dance, and lay back down on the pillow. "Now, _that _was a statement," I said, closing my eyes and enjoying the music. 


	35. Chapter 35

**-Chapter 35-  
>-Aidan's POV-<strong> 

Okay, Hannah's dancing skills aside, I stood. I looked over at Kowalski  
>then at Rico. I frowned and looked up. I closed my eyes and thought.<br>Then I chuckled darkly, an idea forming in my mind. An idea, a special  
>idea. An idea Hannah would hate.<p>

Hannah opened her eyes and looked at me, sensing trouble. Of course she  
>was used to it, so she shouldn't be surprised. But you would suspect<br>little innocent sweet me? I couldn't even think that with a straight  
>face.<p>

"Uh…. Should I be worried?" Hannah said, shifting position.

"Are you allergic to whipped cream? Or turkey feathers?"

"No…." Hannah said, obviously worried.

"Then no."

Hannah looked at me suspiciously and closed her eyes. She fell asleep,  
>her flipper twitching in case someone got near enough to punch. Mostly<br>me. I would know of course. I looked out the skylight in my room. It  
>was around the time when the moon was at its highest. Midnight, the<br>perfect time for my plan. A time for some boisterous fun.

"Hey Private, could you get me some whipped cream from the fridge?" I  
>said, my voice chaste and angelic, one that would make Hannah laugh. He<br>nodded, slightly flustered yet suspicious, and went down stairs.

Rico looked at me suspiciously and I told him my plan, making sure the  
>other two penguins couldn't hear. He cackled happily. Jiraya would be<br>proud. (A/N: Sorry, had to reference Naruto xD )

Soon Private came back up with the whipped cream. "Okay! Game time," I  
>announced, my tone quiet yet loquacious. The penguins looked at me<br>suspiciously. "GOSH! What's with all the looks today! You'd think I was  
>some mass murderer or something! GOSH!"<p>

Private was taciturn, Skipper was stoic, Rico was impartial and  
>Kowalski was phlegmatic. I pouted. "Well?" They quickly nodded.<p>

"What game?" Private asked.

I grinned a Cheshire grin. "Truth or Dare."

Private gulped, and Rico laughed manically. Kowalski sweat-dropped and  
>Skipper blinked. "What?"<p>

"You heard me right. And it's my turn. Kowalski," I said turning to the  
>perspicacious penguin. "Truth or dare?"<p>

"Uh… dare?"

Rico chuckled darkly with me.

"First put whipped cream on her flipper."

He did so. I grabbed my turkey feather my uncle had given me and handed  
>it to him.<br>"Now go over and tickle her... uh…. Beak….."

Kowalski sighed and obliged unwillingly. Before he barely touched her  
>beak with the feather, her flipper flew up and punched him hard in the<br>face. He flew back and fell off the wall.

Skipper jumped up, along with Private. Rico and I chuckled. Private and  
>I went over to look at him. He was unconscious and covered in whipped<br>cream.

"That was so worth Hannah's rage," I said with a giggle. "Now," I  
>clapped my hands once. "Time for dessert." I walked over and sat on the<br>bed next to Hannah.  
>"Hey Hannah," I said softly.<p>

"Hnnn," She replied. God, I love sleep-talkers. But my cousin had a  
>little… kink. She always answered truthfully to the questions you<br>asked. I told as much to the remaining conscious penguins.

Just to prove it, I said "Hey Hannah, what's your least favorite  
>movie?"<p>

"Hnn…. Final… D…Destination"

I nodded in consent. "It's true."

Skipper looked at me. "And…?"

I smirked "Fun time," I said. "For me at least."

"Hey Hannah, who was your first crush?"

"Hn.. . Chris…."

"Who is your current crush?"

"….K..Kowalski" 

I facepalmed.

"What was the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you?"

"...I went to the dance…. A….. at the beginning of… of the year with a…  
>a guy named Robin... When he…. reached out to hold…. M… my hand, I<br>jumped… l…like 5 feet in the air… annd spazzed. Then h… he gave me…a..  
>a funny look..."<p>

I tried not to laugh, seeing it in my head.

"Who was your first kiss?"

"….I've… never…h…had a kiss…"

"What's your biggest fear?"

"That…. That I n…never get…. Married..."

I snorted and laughed.

"Would you ever have kids?"

"Not…. In…m-my… life."

I laughed. Good thing, too. I pity any kid that has me as an Aunt and  
>Hannah as a Mom. Gosh… poor kidos. "Ah... I've had my fun. Now, off my<br>bed." I picked up Hannah and threw her 'gently' on my reading corner  
>pillows. I laid down on my bed and fell asleep.<p> 


	36. Chapter 36

**-Chapter 36-**  
><strong>-Hannah's POV-<strong>

I opened my eyes, and immediately knew something wasn't right.

I looked around the room, then noticed a sticky feeling on my flipper  
>and looked down. Actually, three things were wrong.<p>

Number one: I was no longer on Aidan's bed.  
>Number two: There was whipped cream on my flipper.<br>Number three: There was an unconscious Kowalski covered in whipped  
>cream, lying on the floor across the room.<p>

My eye twitched, and I balled up my flippers into fists. "Aidan!" I  
>yelled.<p>

"What?" Aidan rushed through her bedroom door, a half-eaten pop-tart  
>in her hand, and slipped on her rug in her haste. She fell flat on her<br>back, and her pop-tart landed on her face. She groaned. "This had  
>better be important."<p>

"What happened last night?" I demanded to know.

"Nothing happened," she replied in a smooth, angelic voice.

I narrowed my eyes, seeing through her 'innocent' act. "Oh, really?  
>Then tell me... why am I lying on the floor, covered in whipped cream?<br>And what the hell did you do to Kowalski? He's unconscious and  
>bleeding!"<p>

"Oh. He's bleeding? I didn't notice." Aidan turned to look at the  
>intellectual.<p>

I fumed.

"Hannah, Hannah, Hannah. Remember those things you told me... about the  
>things you do in your sleep?"<p>

"Oh, shit." I glared at her. "You- you didn't!"

"Yes. Yes I did."

"You... you asked me for my secrets while I was sleeping?"

"And made you punch Kowalski."

"What?"

"Hey, it's your quirk."

"What did I say? What did you ask me? Were the guys listening?"

"Well, Kowalski wasn't listening."

I growled and leapt at her, grabbing the collar of her shirt with one  
>flipper and raising the other in a threatening fist.<p>

She laughed and brushed me away as if I were a piece of lint. Damn. I  
>need to learn some of that commando stuff from the guys.<p>

"You don't intimidate me in penguin form, Hannah."

I glared at her. Yeah, I definitely need to learn some commando stuff.  
>"Where are the other guys?" I demanded to know.<p>

Aidan looked thoughtful. "Rico is having a stare-down with Gus...  
>again... Skipper is searching my house for 'suspicious items' while my<br>mom is gone. And Private ate my last poptart," She added with a frown.  
>"And Kowalski... Kowalski is bleeding on my floor."<p>

"Oh, yeah." I swung around and ran over to the unconscious penguin.  
>"Kowalski?"<p>

Kowalski's eyes slowly opened. "...Hmm...?" He blinked a few times, as  
>if he were clearing his vision. "W-what happened?"<p>

"Aidan said that I punched you in my sleep..."

"Oh, right. I-I remember."

I hung my head in guilt, and Aidan snickered behind me. I swung around  
>to face her. "Go finish your damned pop-tart!" She blinked, and left the<br>room.

"T-that wasn't your fault, Hannah... it was merely an  
>instinctual defensive reaction," Kowalski murmured after Aidan left,<br>pressing a flipper to the back of his head.

"I still feel bad!" I said, running to Aidan's bedside table. I grabbed  
>a few tissues and ran back to Kowalski, pressing them to the back of<br>his head.

"Hannah, please. It wasn't your fault." I helped Kowalski to his feet.

"Like I said: I'm still gonna feel guilty." I sighed when I realized  
>Aidan had closed the door behind her. "Nice. Dammit, she makes me feel<br>short."

"Well, you are quite short-"

I crossed my flippers. "Don't even go there." I elbowed him in the  
>side. "Everyone's short compared to you. Well... every penguin, that<br>is."

Kowalski chuckled, and I walked over to the door, looking up at the  
>door handle. "It mocks me." I sighed. "How do we get out?"<p>

"Well, usually we stand on each other's shoulders... but it would take  
>at least one more of us to reach the door handle."<p>

"Nice," I said sarcastically. "Well, we're going to be stuck here for a  
>while."<p>

"What makes you say that?" Kowalski inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Private ate Aidan's last pop-tart. That means she's gonna bike to the  
>store and buy some more, most likely. She loves those things." I sighed.<br>"Sugar does bad things to your brain. Or, more specifically, Aidan's  
>brain." <p>

* * *

><p><strong>Hey people, Hannah here! Thanks for your reviews; please leave more! XD <strong>


	37. Chapter 37

**-Chapter 37-  
>-Aidan's POV-<strong>

It was so worth it. Yea sure, Hannah was peeved at me. And yeah sure,  
>Kowalski probably had some permanent brain damage. But it was totally<br>worth it.

I hopped on my bike, and biked down my steep driveway. Then I biked  
>towards the general store. I can deal with an angry Hannah. It's<br>nothing I can't deal with. But when someone eats MY last POP-TART!  
>Then it gets serious.<p>

I had 'forced' Private to come along and he was now sitting in my bikes  
>basket. We were chatting, half-way to the store when suddenly something<br>darts out in front of the bike. I swerved hard to avoid it and-

Okay… first thing you should know, my town is stupid and put down new  
>gravel on my roads. And not nice gravel either, gravel that makes it<br>ten times harder to maintain control of both bike and car. Why you ask?  
>Because as before mentioned, my town is stupid. So when I lose control,<br>it's not because I'm drunk or anything (which Hannah would probably accuse me of).

-My bike crashes onto its side, skidding for a couple of good feet. I  
>groan, gravel having embedded itself in my leg, arm, side, and head.<br>Private had fallen out of the basket and had landed fine, not being  
>tangled on a bike. He hurried over and helped me up <p>

"Aidan! Are you okay?" he cried, concerned.

"Stupid freaking…. Making me crash my freaking bike on the freaking  
>road because of the freaking gravel that the freaking town put on the<br>freaking road. Great now I'm freaking bleeding AGAIN because of the  
>freaking gravel..."<p>

I continue to mutter angrily to myself, which is a habit, while I  
>picked up my bike, swearing occasionally. Private looked at the<br>scrapes, his eyes wide.

"What darted in front of us?" He exclaimed.

I shrugged and turned my bike off the road.

When I'm all set and my bike is resting against a tree on the side of  
>the road, I go and try to see what darted in front of me. I walk over<br>to the spot and kneel down, wincing because of the deep scrapes. The  
>gravel is wet there…. strange.<p>

"What could-" I start to say when I hear noises behind me. I stand and  
>frown. I turned and my eyes widen. Private was knocked unconscious on<br>the ground. "PRIVATE!"

They started to run towards me. Quickly I reach for my cellphone in my  
>pocket before they-<p>

I fall to the ground, pain nearly blinding me. I threw my phone at one  
>of them and it hits its head. It leans down, picks it up, and snaps it<br>in half. 'Good thing I have insurance,' I think sarcastically, and  
>numbly. Soon my eyes flutter from the dizziness. My last thought is,<br>'All because Private ate my pop-tart.' 


	38. Chapter 38

**-Chapter 38-**

**-Hannah's POV-**

"Can you reach it now?"

I stood on Kowalski's shoulders, desperately reaching for the door handle. My flipper wasn't even close. "Ugh… nope." I thought for a moment, considering a few ideas. "Do you think you could toss me up? That's the only way I'll be able to reach it."

"Uh… sure," The intellectual replied, bending down and quickly tossing me off his shoulders.

I reached for the door knob and clung onto it. "Yes!" I exclaimed. I jiggled the handle, but it wouldn't turn. My eyes narrowed. "Shit. She locked it." I released my grip, landing not-so-gracefully next to Kowalski. "Ow." 

Kowalski offered me a flipper. I took it, and the intellectual pulled me to my feet. "If we can find a paperclip, I could pick the lock-"

"I know how to pick locks. If you toss me up, I could do it. I bet Aidan has some pins around here somewhere," I interrupted. Kowalski nodded in agreement, and we dispersed throughout my cousin's room, searching for any item that could be used to pick the lock, while I cursed under my breath, wondering why Aidan would have any reason to lock her door with us inside.

"I found a paperclip," Kowalski called from atop of Aidan's dresser, holding up the small item into view.

"Perfect," I said. Kowalski leapt down from the dresser and landed lightly beside me. He handed me the paperclip, which I took eagerly. I bent it into shape. "Ready?"

"All set." The intellectual lifted me onto his shoulders and pushed up with his flippers, sending me flying towards the door handle. I grabbed on, and slid the paperclip inside the keyhole.

After a few moments of fumbling with the lock, the tumbler clicked and the door unlocked, sliding open slowly. "Yes!" I cheered, dropping onto the floor. "Ow."

Kowalski helped me up again, and we waddled out of my cousin's bedroom. "Skipper? Rico? Private- GAH!" I yelled as a large white cat pinned me to the ground. I immediately recognized this cat to be Gus, Aidan's ferocious male cat. "Let me go!"

The cat blinked slowly, but its claws dug into my flippers. I gasped with pain. "Help me!"

Gus snarled and swung around suddenly, facing the direction opposite of me. I was dragged away by Kowalski as the cat began to snarl at Rico, who had come to my rescue. The penguin coughed up a flame thrower and aimed it at the ferocious feline.

"Rico, don't!" I exclaimed. Rico growled at Gus, and the muscular tom backed away slowly, Rico slowly advancing on him. Gus spat, turned tail and fled down the stairs. I let out a sigh of relief as Rico swallowed the flame thrower once more.

"Are you alright?" Kowalski asked anxiously, propping me up against the wall.

"Yeah… I'll be fine," I replied, turning my head to examine myself. A few scratches bore into my flippers, but weren't bleeding heavily.

Rico waddled over to us and coughed up a roll of ACE bandages, handing them to the intellectual penguin.

"Thanks, Rico. You really saved me there," I said with a smile.

"Eh," He shrugged, "no problem," the weapon-enthusiast grunted.

"Wait… where's Skipper? And Private?" I asked, looking around as if I expected them to burst through a window.

"Right here, soldier," I heard Skipper say. I turned to see him hopping up the stairs. I didn't see Private with him.

"Where's Private?" I asked Skipper, raising a non-existent eyebrow.

"I ordered him to go with your cousin… she said something about Poptarts. Anyway… they should be back by now-" 

"Skippah! Hannah!" I heard a familiar voice screech. There was a loud banging on the window.

"Smoked salmon!" Skipper exclaimed. "Private?"

I rushed over to the hall window and hopped up onto the window sill. My eyes widened when I saw Private's appearance- he was covered in gravel and dirt, as if he had fallen or been knocked down in the road. He looked anxious and fearful. I lifted the window, and Private leapt inside the house. "Private, what happened?" I asked. "Where's Aidan?"

"She was taken!" Private replied in a rush. "We were biking down the road, and something ran in front of us. Aidan's bike slid on the gravel and we fell over! Then something grabbed Aidan and knocked me out… and… that's all I remember."

Skipper's eyes widened, and I gulped. "Blowhole," Skipper said. "It's so obvious! But… what would he want with your cousin?" He asked, turning to look at me as if I knew the answer. I shrugged helplessly.

"Perhaps he's been spying on us… and he knew to take Aidan to set a trap for us!" Kowalski exclaimed.

"But how would he know where to find us-" Skipper began. He turned to look at me. His eye twitched. "You!"

"M-me?" I asked nervously.

"I knew I couldn't trust you! I knew it! You're Blowhole's spy after all!"

"What?" I exclaimed. "Skipper, that's ridiculous!"

"Boys, grab her! We're taking this spy down!"


	39. Chapter 39

**-Chapter 39-****  
><strong>**-Aidan's POV-**

My head throbbed like a metronome. I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. "What the heck?" I muttered, wincing when I talked. I must have a bloody lip…

I was in some kind of building that looked like a combination of an aquarium and a science fair. The walls were rock, hinting that I was underground. Light shone from a couple of ceiling lamps that gave off a bluish glow. There were random holes, like pools, filled with bright blue water that looked clear and they sparkled. One wall had screens and buttons galore. Blinking lights, dials and strange looking ray guns littered the building. It was amazing… Or it would be if I wasn't chained to a metal chair attached to a strange looking thing that looked like it was out of a science movie.

My wrists were chained to the arms and my ankles to the legs of the chair. It was pretty uncomfortable. I heard cackling behind me… _Strange _cackling. I heard wheels turning and soon a dolphin riding a Segway came into my vision. He was missing an eyes and it was replaced by a robotic looking one. I burst out laughing. He glared at me and hit a button on his Segway. A jolt of electricity zoomed through the chair. I felt like my very soul was one fire. It ended as soon as it started, but I already smelled a little of burnt flesh.

"Don't laugh, disgusting human," The dolphin retorted, glaring at me still. I grunted and said, "Look who's talking, fish-face." Another shock ran through my system. When it ended, my head was hanging limply and I glared half-heartedly at him. "W-who are you, freak-show?" Ignoring the snide comment he answered my question. "I, human, am Dr. Blowhole!"

I blanched. "YOU! You are Dr. Blowhole?"

"Ah… So you have heard of me?"

I snorted. "Yeah, the penguins speak… highly of you."

He laughed a laugh only a dolphin could laugh. It wasn't pleasant. "You amuse me human. Tell me, are you friends with the penguins?" He questioned.

"Why should I tell you?" I demanded, lifting my head angrily. I cried out as the electricity burned me again. It stopped, and then started, again and again. I grimanced and continued to glare. Finally after a long one that felt like my entire being was being attacked by Zeus, I cried out, "O-OKAY!"

He stopped, a smug look on his face.

"Yes… yes we are friends."

"For how long?"

"A… a while." I said lamely. Truthfully, I didn't know.

"Would they attack you?" He asked. I looked at him, surprised. "If they had too," He added.

"…No," I whispered. He cackled again. "Why do you want me?" I croaked, a little louder than a whisper. "Oh, a plan. Of revenge. On the penguins." He pronounced 'penguin' oddly, like, peng-you-uin.

"What kind of revenge?" I questioned suspiciously. He cackled again. "Oh, I'm simply going to turn you, their friend, against them. They won't be able to fight you and you will destroy them." Again with the cackle.

"WHAT?" I scream, then grimanced, tears coming to my eyes. "You'll never get me to do that!" I croaked, my throat sore and scratchy. He started to laugh but I cut him off. "Never!"

He rode his Segway over to a table with a button. "Oh contraire, you will be my slave. With this experiment, your mind will be mine to control." I glared at him. "Good luck with that, my brain is as slippery as an eel. Even the men in the white suits couldn't get it!" I cried quietly, referring to an old joke me and my friends had. He pressed the button and a glass thing resembling a helmet began to descend towards my brown mop of a head. As I struggled weakly, it touched down, clamping to my head. I heard him press another button. I heard a buzzing sound above my head and a single tear slipped down my cheek as everything turned black. 


	40. Chapter 40

**-Chapter 40-****  
><strong>**-Kowalski's POV-**

"Skipper, this is madness!" I yelled. "Hannah is our _friend_."

Skipper had pinned the female penguin to the wall, and motioned to Rico. "Rico, ropes!"

The weapon-crazed penguin hesitated.

"That was an order, soldier!" Skipper snarled.

Rico coughed up the ropes and Skipper caught them, tying them around Hannah to keep her still. He propped her up against the wall. "Alright, _Hannah_," He said with a fierce glare. "Where is Aidan?"

"Skipper, this is ridiculous!" Hannah cried. "I'm not a spy! Why would I go against my own cousin?"

"Maybe she _isn't _your cousin," Skipper said, pacing back and forth. "You've been lying to us from the beginning!"

"Skipper, you're making no sense-" Hannah began.

"I'm making plenty of sense!" Skipper yelled, moving forward and pinning Hannah to the wall in one fluid motion. Fear and confusion were present in her eyes. "Tell us where she is, spy!"

"Skipper!" I yelled, kicking the commando penguin away from Hannah and placing her gently on the floor. I turned to face my fearless leader, flippers raised in a defensive position. "We have every reason to trust Hannah! How would she have any idea what happened to her cousin if she wasn't even around when Aidan was taken away?"

"You dare go against your commanding officer?" Skipper yelled. "Stand down, soldier!"

"Not until you admit you're being completely unrealistic!" I countered.

Skipper snarled and lunged at me. I jumped up and aimed a kick at his chest. My commanding officer grabbed my foot and tossed me to the side. I back-flipped and landed lightly on the ground, swinging around to face Skipper.

Skipper had walked back up to Hannah. "I'll ask you one more time, spy: Where is Blowhole, and what has he done to Aidan?"

Hannah raised her head to look Skipper dead in the eye. "I'll tell _you _one more time, Skipper: you've lost your damn mind. I am not a spy."

Skipper continued to glare at Hannah. After a few long, awkward moments, he turned to face Private. "Private, show us where you and Aidan were attacked. We'll see if any clues turn up from there."

Private nodded quickly. "Sure thing, Skippah." He turned to the window he had entered through and opened it wide. Rico coughed up a grapple hook and rope, hooking it to the window sill and sliding down the rope to the ground. Private soon followed. Skipped looked back at Hannah. Was that regret in his eyes? He quickly turned his back on us and slid down the rope.

I sighed, turning to Hannah and untying her. "Are you alright?"

"For the most part," She replied quietly, tossing the ropes on the ground after I had finished untying her. She looked hurt, probably feeling as if she were no longer trusted. She looked towards the window. "Let's go."

I nodded, and we waddled slowly to the window sill in a sullen silence. She leapt up and slid down the rope, and I quickly followed suit.

**Hannah's POV**

Skipper pissed me off, period.

I knew he was paranoid... but how could he suspect _me_ of being a spy, after all we had been through in Vermont? It made me so... so freakin' angry! I couldn't help but wonder if the other penguins trusted me anymore.

_Kowalski does, _I reminded myself. I mean, he fought Skipper... for me. To keep me safe; to make sure I didn't get hurt.

I hoped that Private and Rico still trusted me, and that Skipper hasn't gotten them paranoid as well.

Private's anxious voice broke through my thoughts as we hurried down the gravel road. "This is where I was knocked unconscious," he explained in a rush.

You could tell there had been a struggle; there were skid marks from the tires, and scuffs in the ground where Aidan had probably been dragged off. Her bike, though, was leaning against a tree.

Throughout the 'scene of the crime,' I noticed scattered prints. They weren't very large; they seemed to be small 'dents' in the ground and road. "Kowalski?" I asked.

The intellectual turned to face me. I pointed out the tracks. "These are not familiar tracks to me," I said. "Unless an army of mutant squirrels came through here, which I highly doubt..." I had lived in Vermont my whole life, and I often would hunt and track in the forest with my dad. I knew almost everything there was to know about tracks, including how recent the prints were, if the animal was injured, or even the size of the animal that had come through, just from looking at the prints the animal had left behind. Yet, these tracks were definitely not from a Vermont animal. "Any thoughts?"

Kowalski bent down to inspect the strange prints. "Lobster," he concluded, "but not an average sized lobster, that's for sure. I would conclude that Dr. Blowhole's lobster minions are responsible for your cousin's disappearance, Hannah."


	41. Chapter 41

**-Chapter 41-****  
><strong>**-Experiment 4058 POV-**

My eyes opened. I saw Master cackle. "Perfect," He said, squealing like a little girl. He gave me my weapons and unchained me from my chair. "What is my mission?" I asked, my voice monotone. He smirked and led me to the exit. He set me starting up the ladder. When I was halfway up, his voice reached me. "Destroy the penguins."

**-Skipper POV-**

Okay, so Hannah wasn't a spy. Or at least that's what we have determined. I can't believe Kowalski would go against me! His commanding officer! But maybe I was a little out of line. I would apologize to Hannah later. But now we had more important things to take care of right now. We had to find Aidan. We were already on the trail of her captors. Soon we would find the lair, and Aidan.

* * *

><p><strong>AN (Hannah): Ok, so... wow. I apologize on behalf of my cousin for how extremely short this chapter was (Sorry, cousin, but you know it's true). XD I promise they'll get longer soon :)**

**R&R!**


	42. Chapter 42

**-Chapter 42-**  
><strong>-Kowalski's POV-<strong>

We were tracking Dr. Blowhole's lair deep into the Vermont forest, following the lobster tracks that Hannah had pointed out.

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She was trembling; whether it was from the fear of what Blowhole was doing to her cousin, or from the cold rain that was beginning to fall lightly on our heads, I couldn't tell.

"Hannah," I asked hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... I-I'm fine," The female penguin replied quietly, not meeting my gaze.

"Hannah-"

"Just leave it, Kowalski."

"But-"

"Please," She added, in as stern a tone she could manage. Hannah kept her eyes on the ground.

I sighed, turning my gaze to observe the forest we were trekking through. The rain was coming down at a steady pace, slowly pounding down harder and harder.

Soon enough, the storm became so intense that the lobster tracks were washed away. Hannah stared at the ground hopelessly as the only lead to her cousin disappeared before her eyes, washing away in the seemingly endless downpour.

Skipper's commanding voice broke through the pounding rain. "Kowalski!"

I was hesitant to leave Hannah's side, but I sped up my pace to approach Skipper after another moment's consideration.

"We won't be able to continue through this storm; the tracks are washing away. Options?" He asked.

"We should find shelter," I answered automatically, raising my voice over the sound of the raging downpour, "but not too far from the trail we've been following- with any luck, some tracks could survive the rain."

Skipper gave me a nod of approval. "Team, change of plans. We seek shelter, pronto!"

"How about over there, Skippah?" Private piped up over the pouring rain. He pointed to a large rock outcrop.

"That will have to do, Private. Move team, move!" Skipper yelled.

We all quickly waddled towards the rocky outcrop, the ground becoming thick and wet with mud under our feet. After we settled under the outcrop, I noticed that someone was missing from the group. I did a quick, mental head count. '4... wait, where's Hannah?' I panicked for a moment, and then suddenly I realized she was still standing out in the rain, staring at the ground where the tracks of the lobsters once were.

Skipper followed my gaze. "Hannah! What is she doing out there?"

"I'm going to find out," I replied automatically, hurrying out from under the rocky outcrop towards Hannah. "Hannah!"

**-Hannah's POV-****  
><strong>

"Hannah!"

I heard Kowalski shouting my name over the gale, but I didn't respond. I didn't know if I could respond, even if I wanted to. I wanted to keep going; to keep traveling in the general direction the tracks had seemed to be leading. I wanted to find my cousin.

As the water pouring from overheard washed away the tracks- the only traces of my cousin- the guys wanted to call it a night. How could they, when they clues were still visible, if only for a few more minutes? What if those few more minutes of searching led us to Aidan?

"Hannah!"

As my name was called a second time, my mind was suddenly brought back into reality- the intense, brumal chill of the rain immediately took over my body. I began to shiver, and the rough winds were not helping me keep warm.

I felt sudden warmth around my shoulders, and I didn't have to turn my head to know Kowalski had approached, flipper around me.

"Why are you still out here? You'll catch hypothermia, and..."

I let my thoughts wander once again as Kowalski rambled on about how my core temperature was going to get all out of whack, and how freezing I must be, blah blah blah. At this point, I truly did not care. I was only worried about my cousin. Hell, who knew what Blowhole could be doing to her?

"Hannah." Kowalski's voice broke into my thoughts once more. "I need to get you out of the rain. Now."

I sighed, but didn't argue. There was no way we would find Aidan in this weather. "Okay," I said, my voice barely audible.

I allowed the intellectual penguin to lead me to the rocky outcrop, my whole body shivering. Once we had settled underneath it, Rico began building a small fire by igniting a pile of twigs with his flamethrower.

Skipper looked at me with concern. Wait, concern? What had happened to, "You've been lying to us from the beginning," and, "where's Aidan, spy?"?

"Kowalski, do what you can to warm her up. Private, help Rico build up that fire," Skipper ordered.

Rico hacked up a blanket and handed it to Kowalski before turning back to the small fire. Kowalski wrapped the small blanket around me.  
>"Thanks," I murmured quietly, pulling the quilt tightly around my shoulders. I stared off into the darkening forest with a quiet, shaky sigh. "Kowalski," I asked quietly, "do you think we'll find her?"<p>

Kowalski looked at me, managing a small smile. "We will, Hannah. I'm 89.9 percent sure of it."

I silently prayed that Kowalski was right, and not making up numbers just to try and reassure me.

* * *

><p>I woke up early the following morning. The endless downpour had stopped, but the ground was still thick with mud.<p>

I sighed and stood, detangling myself from the small blanket wrapped around me. I turned to look at the other penguins.

They were already awake, and talking quietly, probably discussing plans. Skipper seemed so intent on giving orders that he didn't notice I was awake, and neither did the others.

"But, Skipper-" Kowalski was saying.

"Kowalski," Skipper interrupted, flippers folded across his chest and eyes narrowed, "you've had your chance with Hannah. She is truly a human; you know that. She can't stay with us."

"Isn't that ultimately her decision?" Kowalski replied.

"Kowalski, Aidan needs her. She'll be more of a help to us and herself if you give her the antidote." Skipper's eyes softened the tiniest bit. "I'm sorry, soldier."

"Skipper, you don't understand-"

"Kowalski!" Skipper interrupted once more, voice and gaze suddenly harsh. "That was an order."

Kowalski looked at his commander with complete and utter sadness. "S-sorry, Skipper."

"Kowalski," I spoke up quietly. All four of the penguins turned to look at me. I continued, "Skipper's right. It's for the best." I paused for a moment before asking, "How long have you been finished with the antidote?"

Kowalski didn't meet my gaze. "T-three days, now."

As much as I would have liked to, I didn't blow up in his face and start yelling at him. I just asked him, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"... I... I didn't want you to leave," Kowalski murmured. "I wanted you to stay with me."

I looked away. "Where's the antidote?" I asked my voice barely audible.

I heard Kowalski sigh. "Rico?" He asked.

I heard the weapons-crazed penguin hack something up from his gullet. I turned, and he was holding a small vial in his flipper. He tossed it to Kowalski, who caught it with ease.  
>The intellectual turned and handed me the vile of ooze.<p>

"So... I just touch it, right?" I asked.

"'No, Hannah, you put it in a suit and dance the can-can with it,'" He said, repeating the exact same words Aidan had said to me when I asked about the first antidote. The intellectual smiled weakly.

I laughed lightly, and wrapped my flippers around the intellectual in a warm embrace.

"You know," I whispered as he returned the hug, "just because I'll be human again doesn't mean that I won't care about you."

"And I'll still care about you, too," He replied. I pulled away from him, and stepped out from under the rocky outcrop. I popped the cork off the vile and carefully reached a flipper into the ooze.

I felt my body grow taller, and I felt my hands taking place of the flippers. Finally, I was human once again.

I looked down at my feet as the penguins approached me. I smiled down at Kowalski. "Thanks," I said. "Now let's go find my cousin."

We began towards the area where the tracks once were. Much to my surprise, a few tracks were still visible! I grinned, and hurried along the trail.

After about an hour of tracking, the prints stopped suddenly in a clearing.

"No!" I heard Private gasp. "The prints... where are the prints?"

"They just... stop." Skipper looked around.

"Wait a sec," I said. "The tracks stop too abruptly right here- they wouldn't stop suddenly if the rain had washed them away, they would slowly fade."

Kowalski nodded in agreement.

"... Which means they would have gone somewhere... but where?" Skipper asked to no one in particular.

"Underground," I said automatically. I bent down and rubbed away the mud and dirt at the end of the trail. Soon, I uncovered a steel trapdoor. "The entrance to Blowhole's lair," I announced.

Kowalski waddled over to inspect the trapdoor. "Look here," He said suddenly. "More tracks... but these are human footprints."

I was soon at his side, and I bent down to inspect the trail. Sure enough, there were shoe prints. "Aidan must have escaped!" I exclaimed.

"Escaped?" A monotone voice asked.

We all looked up.

In a large tree, Aidan was crouched and ready, staring down at us with intense red eyes.

Wait, red? "What the hell-" I began.

Aidan leapt out of the tree and towards me. I dodged to the left and moved away from her quickly. "Aidan, what are you doing?" I exclaimed.

"I am Experiment 4058," She replied. "I follow the orders of my Master alone."

"... Master?" I squeaked.

"Hannah, move!" Skipper yelled as Aidan charged at me again. I ducked, catching her foot and flipping her onto the ground.

"How the hell did I do that?" I exclaimed. I guess I had spent more time watching Skipper train the others than I thought.

"Nice move, soldier! Now, throw a punch!"

"I'm not going to fight my own cousin!"

"You just did!" Skipper yelled back.

"But I have the strength advantage over her… I think!" I argued, dodging another blow.

"Wouldn't that be more of a reason to fight her?"

"No, that means I could kick her ass and seriously hurt her-" I began.

Aidan had me planted firmly on the ground. "Uh... never mind," I said as she raised a fist.

She brought her fist down, and I turned my head to the side in attempt to avoid it. I moved a second too late, and her fist made contact with my cheek.

I let out a cry of pain, and kicked my cousin away. I stood quickly, backing against the tree. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I exclaimed, placing my fingers gingerly on the area her fist had been moments ago.

"Idiot!" A voice rang out clearly. "Take care of the girl later! The penguins! Destroy the penguins!"

I noticed a small earpiece in Aidan's, well, ear. I assumed Blowhole was giving her orders from the safety of his hideout. What a coward.

"Yes, Master," Aidan replied to the voice. She slowly turned to the penguins, her eyes an evil glow.


	43. Chapter 43

**-Chapter 43-**

**-Experiment 4058's POV-**

I turned in a flash, roundhouse-kicking Kowalski. He went flying and hit a tree, unconscious. I walked towards Rico and soon he too was lying on the ground. I was unstoppable. I wouldn't stop until my mission was complete. Never.

**-Skipper's POV-**

I watched in horror as two of by comrades were defeated in a matter of seconds. Aidan turned towards me and I took a step back from the look in her eyes. She attacked and I blocked her attacks, not able to bring myself to attack. Private stood helpless on the side, not wanting to hurt Aidan. When I glanced over at him, almost pleading, no, commanding, for his assistance, Aidan's foot meet my chest. I went flying back. I felt something hard hit my already aching back and I blacked out.

**-Experiment 4058's POV-**

I smiled in satisfaction as the penguin slumped, unconscious. Three down, one to go-then that pesky girl. Already lobsters were coming and dragging the penguins into the lair. With a smirk on my face, I turned to look at the last penguin. "Aidan! Stop this! Why are you hurting your friends" I laughed. "Who is this Aidan? And I am not your friend. You are my prey, my mission. And it is my mission to destroy you."


	44. Chapter 44

**-Chapter 44-****  
><strong>**-Hannah's POV-**

I watched helplessly as my cousin slowly cornered Private against a tree. An adrenaline rush had taken over my body, but I knew even that wouldn't bring me strength to take down my cousin and her scientifically engineered abilities.

Not able to watch Aidan take down Private, I lunged forward, reaching out to grab her arm.

Instinctively, Aidan caught my arm and flipped me onto my back. I lay there, winded, my heart pounding in my head.

"Hannah!" Private gasped, back pressed against a tree.

Black spots dotted the edges of my vision. I took a gulp of air and leapt to my feet, raising my fists. "L-let him go, Aidan!"

Aidan swung around to face me, eyes glowing red. She surged forward with superhuman speed, pinning me to the ground.

"This 'Aidan' is no longer existent, pitiful girl," She snarled in my face. She stood and swung around to face Private once again.

"Private, run!" I yelled at the small penguin.

"What? Hannah, I can't leave you here!" He objected.

"Private, please!" I begged.

"No, Hannah! I can't!" Private argued as Aidan took another step closer to him.

Summoning the last threads of my strength, I lunged forward, spun around and drove my foot into Aidan's legs, knocking her down. I dove towards her and pinned her to the ground, breathing heavily. "Aidan, get a hold of yourself!" I growled.

"My name is not Aidan. I am Experiment 4058, and I follow only the orders of my Master and my Master alone-"

"Shut up. Just SHUT UP!" I yelled. "Stop listening to him-"

"You idiot! You stupid excuse for a minion! Turn around and get the penguin!" Blowhole's voice was heard clearly from Aidan's earpiece.

"Yes, Master," Aidan replied in the creepy monotone voice.

Before I could react, Aidan kicked me off of her, and I went flying a good ten feet back into the nearest tree. I let out a gasp of pain, and I was sure I heard something in my body crack.

**-Kowalski's POV-****  
><strong>

"Kowalski."

"..."

"Kowalski."

"... Uhhnnn..."

"Kowalski."

"Guhh…"

"Kowalski!"

"GAH!" I snapped out of my unconsciousness in an instant. "S-Skipper?"

"Pull yourself together, soldier! I need options here!" Skipper barked at me. Only then did I realize our predicament.

Our flippers were chained to a solid steel wall, as were our ankles- Skipper was on my right, Rico on my left. But Private wasn't with us... neither was Hannah. "Skipper-" I began.

Skipper nodded to the wall opposite of us.

There was a large monitor in front of us with a split screen- half of it reflected an image of us penguins, as if to remind us that we were helpless. The other half showed a live image of Aidan and Private. But where was Hannah?

As if to answer my question, Hannah suddenly appeared in the image, spinning on one foot and kicking Aidan over. In one fluid motion, Hannah had planted her brainwashed cousin firmly on the ground, Private watching with wide eyes.

"Aidan, get a hold of yourself!" Hannah exclaimed.

I couldn't help but worry for Hannah's well being- She had a black eye, bruised cheek, and some blood trickled down the side of her face. Obviously, her cousin's engineered abilities were a bit much to handle.

Aidan's monotone voice interrupted my thoughts.

"My name is not Aidan. I am Experiment 4058, and I follow only the orders of my Master and my Master alone-"

"Shut up. Just SHUT UP!" Hannah yelled, cutting off her cousin. "Stop listening to him-"

"You idiot! You stupid excuse for a minion! Turn around and get the penguin!" Blowhole's voice was heard clearly from Aidan's earpiece and echoed around the lair as he yelled into a microphone on his Segway.

"Yes, Master," Aidan replied slowly.

I felt Skipper tense beside me as Aidan swung around and kicked Hannah off of her, sending her flying ten feet back into a tree.

"No!" I yelled.

Hannah let out a cry of pain.

Private gasped. "Hannah!"

Hannah collapsed against the tree, tears pricking at her eyes as the pain began to set in. "Ah- ow..."

Aidan turned her back on her cousin, and back to Private.

"Aidan, please try to remember me!" Private begged. "I'm your friend; Blowhole isn't!"

"Friends are for the weak." Aidan took a step closer to the young penguin.

"Aidan, you have to listen to me!" Private said desperately. "Blowhole is using you! Please, trust me!"

"Why would I trust you? Master told me to trust him and no one else."

"You should trust me... because..." Private looked down, then over at Hannah.

Hannah collapsed on her side, struggling to catch her breath. Her eyes remained open. "P-Private... tell her..."

"T-tell her what?" Private stammered.

"Y-you know exactly... w-what I'm t-talking 'bout," Hannah managed.

Private gave a brisk nod, looking back up at Aidan. "Aidan... you need to trust me... because... I..."

"Experiment 4058!" Blowhole screeched. "What are you waiting for? Get the penguin!"

"No!" Hannah yelled. "Private!"

"Aidan, the truth is that I-"

"Fool! Attack the penguin, or I'll-"

"SHUT. UP!" Hannah yelled. "Private, it's now or never!"

As Private opened his beak to reply, a swarm of lobsters came up from behind him and dragged him into the lair. "Hannah!"

"Private!" Hannah yelled.

"P-Private?"

Hannah looked at her cousin after she murmured the penguin's name. "Y-yes. Yes! Private, Aidan! Private is our friend!"

For a moment, I could have sworn her eyes showed a sign of confusion and loss, but it quickly left when Blowhole's voice sounded in her ear. "Experiment 4058, get the girl. Now."

"Well, shit," Hannah said as Aidan turned to her.

"Kowalski, give that girl options!" Skipper yelled.

"But she can't-" I looked at Blowhole, who was very close beside me. "Rico," I hissed. "Cough something up onto that blue button!" I said, nodding towards the button that would activate the microphone in Aidan's earpiece.

Rico nodded, and hacked up a brick onto the Segway.

"Hey!" Blowhole exclaimed. The brick jammed the button as I planned, and Blowhole fell off the Segway.

"Hannah, can you hear me?" I yelled.

**-Hannah's POV- ****  
><strong>

"Hannah, can you hear me?"

Kowalski's voice sounded loudly through Aidan's earpiece. She frowned. "You're not master!"

Kowalski ignored her. "Hannah, I'm going to give you some options-"

"Get to it, man!" I heard Skipper's voice yell.

"Right." Kowalski paused for only a moment. "You should run, Hannah. Run north and keep going, leave us behind."

"No. I will not accept that option!" I exclaimed as Aidan ignored the penguin and continued towards me.

"But-"

"No 'buts,' Kowalski. I'm-" I had a thought. I started running towards the lair's opening.

"Hannah, what are you doing?" Kowalski yelled.

I didn't reply, and I burst through the lair opening, falling five feet the the floor. "Ow." I stood quickly.

I saw Blowhole drag himself onto his Segway. "Minions! Attack! Experiment 4058, return to the lair immediately!"

Lobsters soon surrounded me. "Oh, what fun." I started running towards the chained up penguins, hearing the minions on my heels.

I saw a control panel by the penguins. "Release button... where's the release-"

A lobster leapt and pinned me to the floor, soon followed by two more. "Let me go!" I yelled. I kicked one in the face and punched another away. I stood and ran again. "Kowalski!"

"Hannah, press the red button! It's the release button!"

I leapt over a swarm of lobsters, running back to the control panel. I pressed the red button.

A steel door across the room opened, releasing more lobsters.

"Shit. Kowalski!"

"Try the green one!"

I did so. It released more lobsters.

"Purple?"

The penguins fell to the floor. "Ow!" They exclaimed.

"Yay. You're free. Now, help me here!"

The penguins soon surrounded me in fighting stances. "... Hannah, I think I have a plan. It's risky, but it might help us out here against these odds."

"I'll take a risk. If it means I get my cousin back, I'll do it."

After he explained the plan, we split apart and I created a diversion, mostly by throwing out insults at the lobsters, such as "Hey there, you stupid shellfish!" Or, my personal favorite, "Maybe if you can manage to catch me on those toothpick legs, I won't be able to cook you up for dinner tonight!"

Then fighting broke out.

Lobsters were everywhere- attacking the penguins and myself. Rico held them off by swinging around a crowbar. He laughed maniacally as he did so. If it  
>weren't a life or death situation, I would have laughed at his actions.<p>

Skipper took on a group at once, dodging and lashing out in quick, fluid movements.

Private surprised me by holding off a group of three lobsters by himself, jumping to avoid them while they charged him. They crashed into each other.

I scanned the lair for the intellectual penguin, hoping he had managed to reach the brain-washing device that made my cousin go bad. "Kowalski!" I yelled.

The intellectual penguin stood from the brain-washing device, disconnecting a large needle with a mysterious blue serum inside. He tossed it to me, yelling, "Dodge to the right!"

Noting his warning, I moved, avoiding a lobster and catching the large needle.

Suddenly, all of the fighting in the large lair seemed to stop abruptly.

"What do you think you're doing with that?" Blowhole demanded.

"Hannah," Kowalski tried to speak in an even tone, struggling to catch his breath, "that serum, once injected into the bloodstream, will give your body an extremely powerful and, potentially, deadly boost of adrenaline, scientifically engineered in a way that is made to last for a long period of time." He glanced at me with worry. "Because Aidan's brain was washed AND her bloodstream was injected with the serum, Blowhole was able to turn her into his evil minion. But because the serum is now disconnected-"

"I could have control over my actions," I finished for him.

Kowalski nodded. "Exactly."

Blowhole's one good eye widened. "You wouldn't!"

I raised the needle to my arm, thumb positioned on the plunger. "I've never been scared of needles," I replied with a smirk.

"Minions! Stop the girl!" Dr. Blowhole yelled.

Before any lobster could lay a claw on me, I drove the needle into my arm, pushing down the plunger and injecting the serum into my bloodstream.

"No!" Blowhole yelled.

I felt lightheaded, and my muscles began to ache. Suddenly, my legs buckled underneath me and I fell to the ground with a moan, and everything went black.

* * *

><p>"Hannah?"<p>

My eyes snapped open and I observed my surroundings.

Everything seemed... different- clearer, almost, yet my mind was a jumble.

"Hannah?" The voice repeated.

I turned my head to face the speaker. Kowalski, Skipper, Rico and Private were all chained to a wall, as was I.

Kowalski's eyes widened when he saw me. "Hannah... the serum..."

The serum! How could I have forgotten?

"... You look... different..."

"... What do you mean?"

"Look at the monitor."

I lifted my head, and saw the large screen before us.

Kowalski was right. I did look different.

My skin was pale, almost a true snow white. My eyes were no longer brown, but instead an unnatural, electric blue. I no longer had a black eye, and the cut on my forehead had scarred over and healed.

My head was throbbing- whether it was from the effects of the serum or the confusion I was experiencing, I could not tell.

My wrists were chained to a wall beside the penguins, and my feet were dangling below me. I scanned the room for Aidan and Blowhole.

Dr. Blowhole was rolling towards us on his Segway, my cousin in tow. Her glowing red eyes narrowed when she saw me.

"Well, penguins, it seems that you have failed; even my powerful serum could not save you." The evil dolphin let out a cackle. "And now, you will all be destroyed by Experiment 4058."

Aidan cracked her knuckles. I heard Private gulp.

"Experiment 4058, we will have no more interruptions." Blowhole narrowed his eyes at me. "Take care of the girl first."

"Yes, Master," Aidan replied in a monotone voice, taking a step forward. She leapt at me, extending her fist.

Thinking quickly, I ducked, avoiding her fist as it made contact with the steel wall my head had been against moments ago.

I yanked at the chains holding me, and they snapped as if I were being held back with toothpicks. I fell to the ground, somersaulting in mid-air before landing lightly on my feet.

"Experiment 4058! Attack!" Blowhole ordered.

Without a moment's hesitation, Aidan surged forward with superhuman speed.

I leapt over her, somersaulting once more in midair and landing behind my cousin, grabbing her arm.

Aidan twirled around, pulling back her fist and aiming for my face.

I ducked, caught her fist and shoved her back. I turned and ran around the lab, leaping over experiments and lab tests.

I heard Aidan close on my heels, about to match my speed. I ran straight at a wall.

Because of my momentum, I ran up the wall, flipped off of it, and landed behind my cousin once again, one hand planted firmly on the ground and feet spread apart to hold my balance.

Aidan spun and kicked me in the face. I stumbled back, and quickly jumped forward, pinning her to the wall.

She struggled, but our strengths were matched. It no longer mattered who was stronger, but who could think more quickly under pressure.

_I think I can handle that,_ I thought.


	45. Chapter 45

**-Chapter 45-**

**-Experiment 4058's POV–**

I saw something change in the girl 'Hannah's demeanor. I braced myself for an extra throw of strength and when it came, I used it to my advantage, relaxing my muscles, causing her to stumble forward. Using her momentum, I tightened my grip and threw her. She got up quickly, shaking her head and running towards me. She aimed a punch at me and I jumped up, grabbing the bottom of one of the catwalks and swinging myself up. She would prove to be a tough foe. The girl followed suit, taking off after my running form. I jumped again, landing on a small platform, grabbing a table and spinning it. I threw it hard at her and she rolled out of the way. "You missed," She growled.

I smirked, my bright violet eyes sparking. A cackle came from master. "Stupid human. She wasn't aiming for you."

"_HANNAH!"_

The girl turned in shock and anger, just in time to see the table almost hit the penguins. _Almost_, for she had jumped, pushing the table out of the way in midair. This little distraction had given me enough time to grab one of master's ray guns; a gamma ray gun. Very dangerous, very deadly. If it just brushed you, no matter where in your body, you would die.

I aimed the gun. Shots came out in rapid fire. Hannah turned to see them and dodged them, barely having time to breathe. Where the shots hit, the wall of the lair was melted along with part of the surrounding rock. A gasp came from the tallest penguin. "Hannah! Be careful! Don't let the shots touch you! "

"No shit, Sherlock," The angry and breathless girl replied.

One of the shots was reflected off a random and very thick slab of lead, bouncing back towards master who barely dodged it. "Gah! Watch it, imbecile!"

I turned to apologize when he cried, "NO! The girl! _Watch the girl!"_ I turned back in time to see the girl hurtling towards me. Without giving me any time to react, she kicked the gun out of my hands. I growled and tackled her. We rolled, wrestling, each trying and failing to get the upper hand. All at once I felt my strength draining. Hannah noticed and quickly took her chance, kicking me off of her, none to gently. I rolled and stood, growling again.

"You're weakening," She stated, deadpanning.

I smirked. "Oh, really? But I still can outsmart you."

She sneered. "You can try."

"Why… I already have." She narrowed her eyes and looked around. "What do you mean?"

"Look around you. The penguins are captured, you are surrounded, facing an opponent who clearly outranks you, and are standing right on my trap."

She gaped at me and looked down, then deadpanned. "It looks like a floor to me."

I laughed. But not a good laugh… a laugh that all the super villains do. But not a "MWAHAHAHA!" More of a subtle "Hehehe…."  
>Anyways... I tapped a remote I had recently grabbed from a nearby table. "Oh, buttons. Let's see what they do-"<p>

I pushed a large blue button. A strangled cry came from the penguins. I smirked, not even bothering to look. "Nope, wrong one." I pressed another one, this one small and violet. A large torture machine emerged from the wall. "No, but I will use that later." I hit another button, similar to the first, only darker. An ice cream stand appeared, rising from the floor near Master, playing the ice cream truck song. The girl and I deadpanned. "Anyway…. What about this one? This red one? Any guess to what it does, girl? Flaming lava pit? Rabid crocodiles? Acid? Rabid crocodiles? All very, very promising choices. What do you pick?"

"Freedom?" The girl spat harshly.

"Hmm, nope. Wrong answer. Nice try, though. How about death by drowning? Simple, fun to watch and classic. I like that idea."

Hannah growled and opened her mouth to say something. I didn't give her a chance. I hit a large red button and the floor beneath her opened like a curtain. The girl dropped into freezing cold water. Cries of alarm sounded from the penguins.

I hit another button and a see-through floor covered it. I walked over to it, standing on the edge, looking down at the struggling girl who banged on the plastic. I smirked. "Good luck trying to break that. It's hurricane-proof, bullet-proof, and stupidity-proof, so basically, unbreakable. Well, for the likes of you." I turned to walk away, heading towards the penguins.

Master came to meet up with me. "Well done, human."

I smirked "What, you think I would fail you?" He looked at me oddly. "You are regaining personality. This is not good." He started muttering to himself.

As he wheeled away on his Segway, I walked towards the penguins casually, my bare feet barely making a sound on the metal floor. When I arrived, the miserable looking birds all glared at me, except for the youngest, who just looked miserable and didn't even bother looking at me. I rolled my eyes in slight disgust. "Cheer up 'chaps', in a couple of minutes it will all be over," I said smugly, my eyes narrowing in pleasure that I had accomplished my mission. This earned an almost silent group gasp. I smirked and told the lobsters to tie them up and prepare them for the execution.

I turned away and walked back towards the see-through floor. Right as I touched the floor, it smashed and I was pinned down by a pissed-off dripping wet teenage girl. She growled and gripped my shirt tightly, raising a fist, snarling, "My turn."


	46. Chapter 46

**-Chapter 46-****  
><strong>**-Hannah's POV-**

At this point, I was seriously considering throwing my cousin into the water, I was so pissed, but I shook the thought away. "Aidan, listen to me-"

Aidan kicked me away, and I slid backwards and back into the water. _Nice_, I thought. I dragged myself back out of the icy drink, shivering. I surged forward, and in one fluid motion I had my cousin pinned to the wall. I snatched the remote from her hand and quickly examined the buttons, clicking the button that read 'release.' The penguins dropped to the floor, and I smirked with satisfaction.

"It's over, Aidan. You and Blowhole are _done_."

She struggled, but had lost most of her strength. "Kowalski, how long until she's normal?" I asked.

"It's hard to say for sure- the serum was engineered to-" The intellectual began.

"Just gimme an estimate, please."

"I'd say about ten minutes, give or take," Kowalski said.

_Ten minutes too long_, I thought bitterly. I dropped Aidan and her eyes blazed. She snarled, "We're not done yet."

I was about to respond, when she kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying backwards. I groaned.

"Watch it, soldier!" Skipper warned me.

I lifted my head to see Aidan flying towards me at full speed. I stuck out my leg, tripping her. I grinned inwardly, pinning her to the floor.

"Aidan, Blowhole is not your master! We- the penguins and I- are the ones you can trust."

Aidan didn't reply, only glared. I sighed. "Aidan-"

She held up the remote. My eyes widened in disbelief. "How did you-"

My cousin pressed a green button, and the floor underneath me disappeared. I gripped onto the edge, looking down underneath me.

There was an extremely long drop beneath me. Even with these amped-up abilities, I would still suffer some serious injuries if I fell from such a height. "Shit."

Aidan stood, towering over me. Two lobster minions stood on either side of her. She nodded to them, and they slammed their claws down on my fingers.

I cried out in pain, but struggled to keep myself from losing my grip. I bit my lip.

Suddenly, as the lobsters raised their claws once more, they were bowled over by Skipper and Kowalski. Rico hacked up a chainsaw and laughed maniacally.

I heaved myself out of the trap, standing and facing my cousin. "Aidan, please listen to me-"

I let out a cry of pain as I felt a blast hit me squarely in the hip. I fell to the floor, placing my hand where I had been hit. "Shit... that hurts..." I looked up to see Blowhole holding a ray gun of some sort. He aimed once more, flipper on the trigger. He cackled, his one good eye twinkling with triumph.

Chances of survival to me seemed unlikely at this point. The penguins were battling for their lives, and my cousin was being controlled by this mad scientist. I swallowed hard, ignoring the blood that slowly began flowing from the wound in my hip, struggling to ignore the pain and somehow overcome the evil dolphin. I could not bring myself to do so as Dr. Blowhole locked on his target: me.

"Meet your doom, idiotic human."


	47. Chapter 47

**-Chapter 47-  
><strong>**-Experiment 4058's POV-**

Suddenly a flash of black and white tackled the dolphin off his Segway. It was the taller penguin!  
>The two slid a couple of feet and the gun skidded away. The girl took the chance to get back up, crouching. Master growled angrily and swiped at the penguin, who jumped away, back to where the other three resided. Hannah stood and quickly joined them. Master struggled to get up right, screeching orders at the lobsters. They made a semi-circle around the penguins and human girl.<p>

Most of the penguins looked only slightly beat up, a scratch or too coupling with a bruise. The small chubby penguin's left eye was blackened and puffy. He most likely couldn't see out of that eye. He also had a few more scratches and scrapes than the others. But the worst off was the girl.

Bruises and cuts littered her body; blood trickled from her mouth, one of her eyes was slightly puffy, growing into a black eye. Her knuckles were red and scraped. And still she stood strong, determined. The penguins looked just as determined. I knew they wouldn't surrender.

I looked down at the ray gun that had skidded into my foot. I picked it up and pointed it at the flightless-birds and pitiful human. "KILL THEM!" Master screeched, still struggling to get to his Segway. I tightened my finger that was wrapped around the trigger, ready to end it.

"NO! Aidan! Don't do this! We're your friends!" The girl cried. I hesitated slightly.

"Don't listen to her lies, do as I SAY!" Blowhole yelled, now crawling towards his Segway.

"Aidan, think! Remember! I'm your cousin, Hannah! We grew up together!"

"LIES! All of it! PROPOSTEROUS! Kill them! Kill them all!"

Both sides continued to try and coax me. My brain started to hurt. One side was starting to remember and offered to help the pitiful life forms, the other argued that they were lying and my first and only loyalty was to Master. The two sides fought against each other as Master and the girl yelled at me. Eventually my brain gave up. Everything went black.


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N (Hannah): Get ready for an extreme plot twist! **

* * *

><p><strong>-Chapter 48-<br>****-Hannah's POV-**

Blowhole and I immediately stopped yelling at Aidan as she blacked out, collapsing on the floor. There was a long, extremely awkward silence.

I coughed, and everyone turned their attention to me. "Ahem... so, I'll be... taking my cousin now..."

"Not if I can help it, pitiful girl!" Blowhole snarled. He pressed a button on his Segway, forming a large protective bubble around himself and my cousin. Propelling towards the ceiling, a large escape entrance opened up. "Good luck getting out of this one, human!" Blowhole sneered, pressing another button on his Segway.

A loud, monotone voice sounded throughout the lair. "Self-destruct sequence has been activated. Termination will commence in 60 seconds."

Thinking quickly, I turned to the penguins. "Rico, get me that remote!"

Rico gave a brief nod and disappeared among the laboratory experiments and inventions. I turned my attention back to Blowhole, who was cackling and priding himself in his victory.

"You've lost this one, penguins!"

"Not quite," I interrupted. "Rico!"

Rico tossed the remote to me, and I turned to Kowalski, handing him the remote. "Analysis?"

"This button should release your cousin," Kowalski replied, forming my thoughts into action. He pressed the button, and the large protective bubble opened up at the bottom. Aidan's limp body slipped through, and Blowhole frantically pressed buttons on his control panel, saving himself from falling with her.

I rushed forward, jumping off a table, somersaulting in the air and landing underneath my cousin as she fell, catching her in my open arms with a grunt.

"Termination in 20 seconds," The monotone voice announced.

"See you later, penguins!" Dr. Blowhole cackled, speeding out of the the escape entrance. It closed behind him.

The penguins were soon at my side. Skipper was the first to speak. "Kowalski, options!"

The intellectual opened his beak to reply, when the loud authoritative voice interrupted him.

"Termination in 10 seconds. 9, 8..."

Kowalski looked around frantically. "There!" He pointed towards the entrance I dove in from earlier. We all headed towards the ladder at the fastest speed we could manage.

Weary, I began to slow, but not before I made it to the entrance. The penguins leaped outside, waiting for me to follow.

"5, 4..."

Thinking quickly, I tossed Aidan out of the entrance to the lair with my scientifically engineered strength. Weakened significantly, I grabbed hold of the first rung of the ladder, when I realized that my only escape had been sealed with a steel plate.

That's when it hit me-

"3, 2, 1... termination commencing!"

- I wasn't going to make it.

**-Kowalski's POV-**

Aidan's limp body came speeding up the entrance with tremendous speed. She crashed to the ground with an unconscious moan, Private rushing to her side.

Suddenly, something came to my realization. Hannah wasn't with us.

The entrance had automatically sealed itself closed!

"No!" I yelled, rushing at the entrance. "Rico, the entrance has been sealed! I need you to-"

But it was too late... _I_ was too late...

The explosion shook the very forest, and a blast of rubble and debris blasted us into the thick undergrowth with tremendous force, the explosion echoing in my ears.

I moaned, pulling myself free of the brambles. Skipper somersaulted over a large boulder and landed beside me, Rico soon joining him- both had singed feathers from the explosion."You alright, soldier?" Skipper inquired.

I nodded weakly and got to my feet. "W-where's Private?" I inquired.

Skipper quickly scanned the area. When he wasn't able to pin-point Private's location, he said, "Rico, locate the private and the deranged minion."

"Alright!" Rico grunted, sliding on his belly throughout the ruins of Dr. Blowhole's lair and the singed trees.

"Skipper, you have to help me find Hannah!" I begged. "She was trapped inside the lair when the detonation commenced... even with her engineered abilities, she could have been..." I trailed off, my voice getting a bit choked up.

Skipper raised a non-existent eyebrow. "You really care about that girl, don't you?"

I nodded quickly, replying without hesitation. "Of course."

Skipper thought for a moment, as if he were considering something.

He pushed his thoughts away for the moment. "Let's go find her."

I nodded, and we dispersed among the ruins of the lair, scanning the debris and scrap metal for any sign of life.

As we continued to search, I became increasingly frantic and panicked.

There were so many things I needed to tell her...

Skipper's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Over here, soldier!"

I jumped over heaps of singed scrap metal, landing lightly beside Skipper, who had uncovered Hannah from underneath a large chunk of steel. We pulled her out into the open where I could evaluate her.

Her knuckles were red and severely scraped, almost raw. There was a large, singed tear in her jeans at the hip, exposing an area of singed skin where she had been hit with Blowhole's ray-gun. Blood slowly trickled from one corner of her mouth and from a large gash in cheek- cuts, scrapes and dried blood covered her arms, legs and face. Her curly brown hair was knotted and tangled around her face, which was covered in soot.

"Hannah..." I breathed. I reached out a flipper to check for a pulse on her neck. There was one, but it was faint. Very, very faint, weakening at a steady rate.

"Hannah, stay with me!" I begged, inwardly knowing this would do me no good. I scanned the ground for something- anything- that could help me save her, but found nothing.

I was about to break down, when a soft, weak whisper reached my ear-holes. "K...K-Kowalski...?" She coughed quietly.

I lifted my head, and soft brown eyes met mine. The serum had worn off, explaining why she was in so much pain- adrenaline, plus her engineered abilities made serious injuries feel close to nothing... that is, until it wore off.

Hannah coughed again, jerking me from my thoughts. Pain showed clearly in her eyes.

"A-Aidan..." Hannah gasped. "Is she... o-okay?" She managed.

I was about to reply that her whereabouts were currently unknown, when Rico yelled to Skipper in jumbled gibberish.

"Rico found her," Skipper responded to Hannah for me. He slid away on his belly towards Rico to assist him.

Hannah struggled to stand, but slowly lowered herself to the ground again with a shaky gasp of pain. She bit her lip.

I began desperately thinking for options, coming up blank. To transport a human- especially an injured human- would prove to be quite a task for us penguins.

Surprisingly, this gave me an idea... but not an idea Aidan would favor, I was sure of it.

"Rico!" I yelled to the psychotic weapon-crazed penguin.

He front-flipped over a pile of burning debris, landing beside me. "Wassup?" He grunted.

"I need the second serum with penguin DNA," I replied.

Without objection or a response of any sort, Rico hacked up said serum from his gullet.

I brought two vials of the serum when we first came to Vermont- of course, when Aidan became cross, I didn't dare tell her about the second vial.

I also had the extra amount of antidote that I made for Hannah, which Aidan gathered supplies for from the store. I stored it in a small jar that Rico "borrowed" from her pantry. The antidote was also being stored in Rico's gullet, ready for use.

I turned to Hannah with the serum in my flipper, uncapping the vial. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked at me with disbelief.

"Hannah, it will be easier for me to treat you if you are scaled down to penguin size once again. We can't leave you lying in the open," I explained.

Hannah sighed and murmured, "O-ok." Her voice was barely audible. She was weak, and she needed my assistance.

I dripped a fair amount of the serum onto her outstretched palm. The thick liquid began to smoke, and Hannah coughed faintly. When the smoke cleared, her small, familiar penguin body replaced her normal human form. Her body was still, unmoving.

I capped the vial and handed it off to Rico, who swallowed it immediately. I kneeled next to Hannah, who still had not moved. "Hannah?" I placed a gentle flipper on her shoulder.

She moaned quietly, her wounds still prominent and probably just as painful. "K-Kowalski... please... h-help... my cousin..." She murmured.

I was hesitant to leave her side. I carefully picked her up and held her in my flippers, handing her off to Rico. "Show me where you found Aidan."

The weapon-crazed penguin nodded towards a large heap of scrap metal. I nodded thanks and belly-slid to the area he directed me. Rico followed more slowly behind me, being surprisingly careful with Hannah, despite his psychotic personality.

I finally reached Aidan's side- she was lying not ten yards from Private. Skipper slapped the younger penguin awake. He recovered from unconsciousness quickly.

I heard Rico approaching from behind. I turned to face him after examination of Aidan's wounds- similar to Hannah, she also had scraped knuckles and various bruises. She had a very prominent bruise on her neck, close to her throat, and a gash on her left shoulder. "Rico, the serum, please."

The weapons-enthusiast hacked up the vial from his gullet, still holding onto Hannah carefully. I caught the vial and popped open the top.

Hannah's eyes opened slightly. "Kowalski, d-don't..."

"I'm sorry, Hannah. It's the only way we'll be able to transport you two and more properly assess your wounds," I responded, turning back to Aidan.

Hannah did not respond to this. I spread out Aidan's hand, emptying the remaining contents of the vial onto her palm. I backed away- smoke formed in a thick cloud around her. She didn't even cough.

When the smoke dissipated, Skipper and Private waddled over to join Rico, Hannah and I. Private looked at Aidan's motionless penguin form with worry.

I bent down to check for a pulse- it was surprisingly strong. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Her pulse is strong- she'll probably be unconscious for another half hour or so." I struggled to think of options- where could we possibly go now?

As if she could read my thoughts, Hannah spoke up. "I-I know a... s-safe place..." She weakly motioned to Rico to let her stand. He hesitated, but obliged, setting her on her feet.

Hannah somehow managed to reach my side without displaying how much pain she was in. She limped slowly- when she made it to my side I placed a flipper around her to steady her.

"Not far f-from here..." She paused for a moment, taking in her surroundings. Despite her state of health, she was still surprisingly quick to tell where in the forest we were. "N-north... twenty minutes by foot..." She paused to take a breath, struggling to steady her voice. She was still trying to recover from the shock of the explosion, plus the effect the "engineered adrenaline" would make it difficult for her to speak a steady sentence.

"S-small cave... wide river beside it... p-possibly fish-"

"FIIISH!" Rico exclaimed.

Hannah rolled her eyes playfully. I chuckled.

Skipper looked down at the unconscious Aidan. "Alright, let's get moving. Rico, take point." The commando penguin scooped up Aidan and held her "bridal style."

"FIIISH!" Rico said eagerly, obviously excited to get a move on. He ran on ahead, Skipper merely rolling his eyes at this and following his eager soldier.

Private looked at Aidan with a worried expression and followed immediately behind Skipper.

Hannah sighed, lifting a non-existent eyebrow. "And I don't get to walk either, right?" She managed.

"Now you're catching on," I responded with a smirk.

Hannah sighed again as I scooped her up in my flippers. I followed Skipper, Private and Rico, the sun beginning to set behind the mountains.

Hannah leaned her head against my chest, her tired eyes watching the beautiful sunset. Her eyelids slowly closed and her breathing slowed as she fell asleep.

**-Hannah's POV-**

I woke up inside a dark, cold area. I shivered, every bone in my body screaming at me not to move, and I remembered why- I was in pretty bad shape to be moving around.

As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could see that I was inside a small cave... the guys made it here, after all!

I heard quiet voices outside, and two more down another tunnel. I was about to call to someone, when Rico walked in from outside, feathers dripping. He proudly presented me with a small brook trout.

I laughed. "Thanks, Rico." With sudden relief, I realized I was able to speak with no trouble at all. I swallowed the fish, and Rico tossed another my way. He coughed up a flashlight as Private and Skipper entered the cave, switching it on.

Skipper and Private sat down opposite of me, leaning back against the wall of the cave. "Feeling better, soldier?" Skipper inquired.

"Somewhat," I responded. "Where's Kowalski and Aidan?"

Skipper pointed down a long corridor that ran through the cave. "Kowalski's evaluating your cousin's condition."

As if on cue, Kowalski walked into view. He had a look of confusion on his face. I asked, "Is she going to be okay?"

Kowalski paused before replying with, "Would you like to hear the good news or the bad news first?"

I sighed. "The good news, I guess," I replied.

The intellectual nodded. "Well, the good news is she's not upset about being a penguin."

I breathed a sigh of relief, making me hesitant to ask, "The bad news?"

"... She thinks she's one of us."

"As in, commando penguin?" I asked, eyes widening.

Kowalski nodded.

"That sounds... for lack of a better word... bad."


End file.
